There are dozens of flood alerts and warnings in place as strong winds and rain are set to bring a “risk to life and property” across the UK as Storm Darragh approaches.
The fourth named storm of the season could bring winds of up to 80mph and heavy rain from Friday afternoon, into the weekend.
A swathe of weather warnings were issued covering the tail end of the week into the weekend, including two amber wind warnings.
The worst of the wind is set to be felt on Saturday, covering Northern Ireland, and the west coast of England, Wales and parts of Scotland.
Storm Darragh is due to cross Ireland late on Friday and make landfall in parts of England and Wales on Saturday, clearing later that night or into Sunday morning.
“Injuries and danger to life is likely from large waves and beach material being thrown onto coastal roads, sea fronts and properties”, the Met Office said.
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Parts of Wales and Northern Ireland are also covered by rain warnings and were badly hit by Storm Bert only recently.
Both areas could see up to 60mm of rain which could lead to further flooding and disruption.
Rhondda Cynon Taf saw between 200 and 300 properties flooded during Storm Bert last month, and is set to be hit by heavy rain again.
Natural Resources Wales has issued over 30 flood alerts and five flood warnings – where flooding is expected and locals should act immediately.
The Environment Agency in England has 104 flood alerts and 20 flood warnings in place.
Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud said he was “a bit concerned” about the risk of flooding in parts of Wales and Northern Ireland where there was “heightened sensitivity” due to recent heavy rainfall.
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He added: “The wind particularly is set to be reasonably disruptive and potentially quite damaging.
“We are rather concerned about the strength of the winds affecting the Irish sea coasts and this is likely to have impacts on Irish ferry services.
“Trees could come down onto roads and people need to be aware of this and allow extra time for travel, especially in rural spots.”
The strong gusts set to batter the country could cause disruption to travel.
National Highways issued its own severe weather alert for Saturday and warned motorists in the South West and North West to prepare for gale force winds.
The routes most likely to be affected include the M5 in north Somerset, the A30 in Cornwall and the M6 in Cheshire.
