A woman shelters from the wet weather beneath an umbrella near Trafalgar Square
(Picture: PA)The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning as southern England braces to be battered by Storm Claudio.
Southern areas including London could see gusts of up to 60mph amid heavy showers on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Environment Agency has also issued 49 flood alerts across much of central England, from Middlesbrough down to Cheltenham.
Neil Armstrong, chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “The biggest impacts from Storm Claudio are expected in northern France, which is why it has been named as a system by Meteo-France.
“What it means for us in the UK is for some high winds to be possible along much of the southern coast of England.
“Some isolated and especially exposed coastal areas could see gusts in excess of 70mph, while much of the warning area will see gusts of between 50 and 60mph.”
Conditions are unlikely to improve by midweek as low pressure moving in from the west is forecast to bring wet and windy weather.
The Met Office said winds are likely to be strongest along Irish Sea coastal areas, including western Wales, north-west England and south-west Scotland, as well as the east coast of Northern Ireland.
It has issued a yellow weather warning for wind on Wednesday from the morning until the early evening.
Deputy chief meteorologist Steven Keates said: “Within the warning area, gusts are expected of between 55 and 65mph.
“This is associated with low pressure moving towards the north-west of the UK, which is bringing with it some heavy rain on Wednesday, especially across parts of south-west Scotland, Cumbria and western Wales, although much of the UK will see some rain through the day.
“In addition to high winds in the warning area, many parts of the UK will experience strong and gusty winds, at least for a time, during Wednesday.”
It comes after the UK enjoyed above-average temperatures in late October, with the mercury reaching the low 20s in some regions.
