London is set for warm weather and some sunshine while much of the rest of the UK braces for the arrival of Storm Agnes, which is expected to bring damaging winds.
The first named storm of the season is due to make landfall on the west coast of Ireland on Wednesday before strong winds hit the UK closer to midday.
The capital and south-east have escaped a string of Met office alerts - including a yellow wind weather warning covering most of the UK from midday on Wednesday to 7am on Thursday, and two yellow rain warnings covering areas of Scotland from 3pm on Wednesday to midnight.
Storm Agnes, which was described as “intensifying quickly” in the Atlantic during Tuesday evening, is expected to generate winds of up to 75mph and cause dangerous conditions along coastlines, especially Irish Sea coastlines.
Meanwhile temperatures were expected to reach around 21C in London on Wednesday.
🌊 As well as strong winds, #StormAgnes will also bring very rough seas and large waves, especially through the Irish Sea
— Met Office (@metoffice) September 26, 2023
🛳️ With high spring tides, some coastal areas are at risk of flooding and some ferry services may be disrupted pic.twitter.com/EJm2eUpa1F
Winds are set to reach 30mph in the capital overnight on Wednesday, the Met Office predicts, making way for a breezy but warm day on Thursday.
Highs of around 20C will remain until the end of the week though the weather is set to be largely cloudy, with some sunshine on Friday.
The Met Office predicts a cloudy but warm weekend in the capital, with temperatures as high as 21C, before dipping slightly next week as October gets underway.
Elsewhere in the UK, the main impact of Storm Agnes will be strong winds and large waves.
Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said: “We are likely to potentially see some damaging winds, the possibility of some brief power interruptions, particularly in Irish sea coastal areas.
“So Northern Ireland, north-west England, west Wales, and south-west Scotland, that’s where we’ll probably see gusts of up to 75mph (Wednesday) afternoon, (Wednesday) evening, that’s when the peak of the winds will be and then Storm Agnes will move across Scotland clearing away from Shetland through Thursday morning.”
He added: “In addition to the winds, there’s going to be some large waves as well, so some big stormy seas, and therefore there might well be some coastal flooding where the waves break on to promenades and on to coastal roads.”
The storm is likely to cause “dangerous conditions” on the coasts around the UK and Ireland, according to The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).
They advised staying a “safe distance” away from the water and cliff edges to avoid being knocked over or washed into the sea.
RNLI water safety partner Sam Hughes said: “It is not worth risking your life.
“If you see someone else in danger in the water, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard. If you have something that floats that they can hold on to, throw it to them. Don’t go in the water yourself – you may end up in difficulty too.”
Disruption to ferry services across the Irish Sea, bridge closures, power cuts and “small amounts” of damage to buildings are also expected.
Storm Agnes will be “more widespread” than the last named storm to hit the UK, Storm Betty, but it will not produce “significant widespread and long lasting travel disruption”, it is understood.
On Thursday, most parts of the UK will be poised for a “much calmer” forecast and further spells of wet and breezy weather should peter out by the end of the week for a drier weekend.
