Storm Babet will hit the capital on Wednesday, with heavy downpours around lunchtime. Londoners are told to expect gusty wind and rain.
Eastern Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England are set to be worst hit.
A red weather warning has been issued for Scotland for "unprecedented" heavy rainfall and severe wind. Storm Babet is expected to cause severe flooding and risk to life on Thursday and Friday.
Angus and Aberdeenshire are thought to be the worst areas to be affected.
Up to 150-22 millimetres of rain could fall in some higher areas of Scotland. For reference, Scotland typically receives 168mm of rainfall in October, but the country will receive more than this amount in the span of a few days.
#StormBabet has been named by @metoffice and is forecast to bring impactful heavy rain to the UK from Wednesday this week
— Met Office (@metoffice) October 16, 2023
Strong winds will accompany the storm
Stay #WeatherAware pic.twitter.com/YJYB3haD4L
The Met Office said the bad weather will last until Saturday and is expected to cause flooding, power cuts and travel disruption.
Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Tony Wardle said: "Storm Babet will bring disruption for parts of the UK in the coming days, with heavy rain and strong winds likely for many.
"Heavy and persistent rain will fall onto already saturated ground bringing a risk of flooding. It is important to stay up to date with warnings from your local flood warning agency as well as the local authorities."
In February, Storm Otto swept the UK, leaving thousands of homes without power as it made its way across northern England and Scotland.
Although Otto was the first storm of the year, it wasn’t named Antoni because the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI) had the task of naming it, as Denmark expected to receive the most severe weather.
How are storms given their names?
Storms are named when they could have a medium to high impact in Ireland, the UK or the Netherlands in order to make messaging to the public on how to prepare for severe weather easier. Each service has chosen seven names on the alphabetical list (which excludes the letters q, u, x, y and z).
Who decides on the name of a storm?
Anyone can suggest a storm name and the Met Office receives thousands of ideas each year. It then meets Met Éireann and KNMI to finalise the choices. The Met Office receives nominations through social media and email and the best way to contact it is by emailing pressoffice@metoffice.gov.uk
⚠️Potential flooding from Wed evening as #StormBabet brings heavy rain which will fall on already saturated ground
— SEPAFlood (@SEPAFlood) October 16, 2023
⚠️Sign up now to receive flood messages direct to your phone https://t.co/T8Fg9DkLC6
⚠️Check the three-day Scottish Flood Forecast to see what conditions are… pic.twitter.com/Q1XYmTOxtX
What storms has the UK had this year?
During the UK and Ireland storm season so far this year, we have had Storm Agnes in September. The rest of the storm names are as follows:
Babet
Ciaran
Debi
Elin
Fergus
Gerrit
Henk
Isha
Jocelyn
Kathleen
Lilian
Minnie
Nicholas
Olga
Piet
Regina
Stuart
Tamiko
Vincent
Wallid
Why do we name storms?
Naming storms helps raise awareness to enable the public to stay safe in dangerous weather conditions. It helps to “provide consistent, authoritative messaging in times of severe weather", according to the Met Office.
Met Office head of situational awareness Will Lang, who leads responses in times of severe weather, said: “We know from seven years of doing this that naming storms works.
“Last year, Storms Arwen and Eunice brought some severe impacts to the UK and we know that naming storms helps to raise awareness and give the public the information they need to stay safe in times of severe weather.”
Lang continued: “Recent impactful storms demonstrated our ongoing need to communicate severe weather in a clear way to help the public protect themselves. Naming storms is just one way that we know helps to raise awareness of severe weather and provides clarity for the public when they need it most.”
