The Met Office has issued yellow alerts for rain and wind across large swathes of the UK and the Republic of Ireland on Saturday, with dozens of flood warnings in place as the countries are battered by the fifth named storm since September.
As Storm Elin hits the UK and the Republic of Ireland, there are yellow alerts for wind covering Wales, the Midlands and parts of Northern Ireland and the north-west and south-west of England. Yellow alerts for rain are in place in the north-west of England and parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland.
In the Republic of Ireland, orange wind warnings will be in place for counties Donegal, Dublin and Wicklow over the course of Saturday, as well as several more yellow warnings, according to Met Éireann, the Irish Meteorological Service, which named the storm.
The Met Office has warned that a band of heavy rain means there is a risk of localised flooding and some travel disruption on Saturday. In Devon, a number of roads have been blocked due to fallen trees and flooding, according to local media. Six people had to be rescued from flood water in the county on Thursday.
There were 33 flood warnings for England in place on Saturday, as well as 181 of the less severe flood alerts. The Environment Agency warned people not to walk through flood water, saying it can contain dangers including sharp objects, sewage, uncovered manholes and chemicals.
Wind speeds could 70mph in areas with Irish Sea coasts, with parts of the Midlands, northern England and Northern Ireland expected to have gusts at between 45 and 55mph, the Met Office said.
Homes and businesses may be flooded as up to 80mm of rain falls in some parts of the UK, according to the forecaster.
The Met Office spokesperson Stephen Dixon said a band of heavy wind and rain would move from the south-west of the UK towards the north-east on Saturday, “bringing with it heavy rain for much of the country”.
He said: “By the afternoon most of the heavy wind and rain will have passed and it will just be showers for southern areas.
“We will also be seeing some quite strong winds in Wales, the Midlands, northern England and Northern Ireland, particularly coastal communities around the Irish Sea. We’re in for a wet and windy weekend.”
The wet and windy weather will continue into Sunday and next week, with a chance of further weather warnings. Yellow warnings for rain remain in place on Sunday in north-west England, while Dixon raised the possibility of further warnings being issued as the weekend continues.
