Storm Ali - which is the first storm to be named by the Met Office and Met Éireann this season - will bring very strong winds to Northern Ireland, Scotland, northern England and parts of north Wales tomorrow (Wednesday 19 September 2018).

An Amber National Severe Weather Warning is in place, warning of gusts of 65-75mph across the warning area.  Gusts up to around 80mph gusts could also be possible in exposed locations, such as coastal regions and high ground.

Chief forecaster Laura Paterson said: “Storm Ali is expected to bring a spell of very strong winds to northern parts of the UK through Wednesday, particularly Northern Ireland, central and southern Scotland and the far northwest of England. As this is the first spell of very strong winds of the season, and given that most trees are still in full leaf, we are likely to see some dangerous conditions with falling trees and flying branches and other debris likely. Strong winds will be accompanied by heavy, squally showers.”

Mark McLaughlin, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s Hydrology Duty Manager, said: “SEPA is continuing to monitor coastal conditions over the coming days, and will provide further updates as appropriate. We would encourage the public to remain vigilant, especially in areas susceptible to flooding and sign up to Floodline on 0345 988 1188 for the most up to date alerts.”

The winds will gradually ease later on Wednesday, firstly across Northern Ireland, northwest Wales and northern England, and then across Scotland. The outlook for the remainder of the week is rather unsettled with further strong winds and heavy rain expected across most parts of the UK. A Yellow rain warning has been issued for parts of Wales and northwest England on Thursday.

Another spell of wet and windy weather is possible over the weekend too. Quieter conditions are currently expected to follow for next week.

You can find out the current forecast in your area using our forecast pages and by following us on Twitter and Facebook, as well as using our mobile app which is available for iPhone from the App store and for Android from the Google Play store.