London could be pounded with winds of up to 50mph as Storm Isha hits the UK.
The storm will bring heavy rain and winds of up to 80mph elsewhere, posing a risk to life and damage to buildings, as part of a wet and windier weekend across the country.
The Met Office has predicted that winds could top 50mph in London on Sunday evening and a yellow wind warning is in place from noon on Sunday until the same time on Monday.
The forecaster has also issued amber weather warnings for wind for northern and western England, Wales, Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland from Sunday into Monday.
The Met Office has said there was a risk to life in coastal areas from large waves and debris being blown inland, and yellow warnings for wind and rain coming into force on Sunday, covering much of the rest of the UK - mean flooding is likely.
#StormIsha has been named by the Met Office and is forecast to bring strong winds and heavy rain to the UK later on Sunday and into Monday
— Met Office (@metoffice) January 19, 2024
Stay #WeatherAware ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/BLC8jTpUC1
The amber wind warnings also mean potential power cuts and loss of mobile phone signal in affected areas, while roads and bridges are likely to be shut and rail and bus services could face delays and cancellations.
But warmer temperatures will replace the recent snow and sub-zero chills at the weekend, with highs of 12C possible on Sunday.
The forecaster has warned there could be travel disruption, damage to buildings and flying debris, as southwesterly winds of up to 80mph could hit exposed coasts and there could be gusts of up to 60mph inland.
East Midlands Railway said it expected "significant disruption" on Sunday and Monday and delays and alterations to services, while Police Scotland advised people to avoid unnecessary travel.
Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill, in an online forecast, said weekend "temperatures are going to be much higher than they have been".
He said: "Quite widely we could see places reaching highs of 12C-13C but we need to factor in the strong winds, the rain, the cloud, and so it is not going to feel quite so warm as this might suggest."
He added: "Temperatures will be on the mild side, lifting as we go through this weekend and staying mild through much of next week. There may be some chillier spells but I think that any frost is likely to be isolated if we see any at all.
"There could be some overnight fog, particularly where we see drier calmer weather towards the South East."
Storm Isha is the ninth named storm to hit the UK since the season began in September.
Each storm is named when it poses a risk to people and they are given names beginning with consecutive letters of the alphabet.
Cold Arctic air pushing south into North America is making the jet stream more active, the Met Office said, and because it flows from west to east, it is bringing stormier weather to the UK.
