Rain falling on the horizon over the sea. Photo Brian Cook

Met Office daily weather: Storm Amy officially named as rain and wind forecast

The UK is set for a dynamic period of weather as we move through Thursday and Friday, with spells of rain and strengthening winds.

Thursday will begin with outbreaks of rain in the north and west, which will become more widespread and heavier during the afternoon and evening. For southern and eastern areas, much of the day will be fine, with bright or sunny spells. However, it will turn cloudier later, with some rain arriving in the west as the day progresses.

Winds will become increasingly strong, especially later in the day, with a risk of coastal gales developing in the north and west. Temperatures will be near to or a little above average for early October, and it will feel warm in parts of central and southern England and eastern Wales. In the brighter east and southeast of England, highs could reach 20°C to 21°C, locally up to 22°C. Elsewhere, values will be similar to those seen on Wednesday.

Rain and strong winds will continue to move eastwards overnight, clearing all but the southeast and Northern Isles by morning. Behind the rain, lighter winds and clear spells will develop, although scattered coastal showers are likely.

It will be a very mild or even warm night in the south and southeast, with minimum temperatures in the low to mid-teens. Across Northern Ireland and Scotland, temperatures will fall to high single figures or low double figures after the rain clears.

Outlook for Friday

Friday will see outbreaks of rain clearing eastwards overnight and early in the day, though some rain may linger across the southeast. Many areas will enjoy a brief drier interlude before conditions turn widely unsettled again from the west as storm Amy approaches, bringing further outbreaks of rain, locally heavy in the west.

Winds will ease for a time as the initial rain clears but will increase again later as storm Amy moves in, with gales or severe gales developing in the north and west by evening. Temperatures will be mild overnight and near average by day, but will trend downwards, especially in the wake of the deep low.

Met Office presenter and meteorologist, Alex Deakin, said: “It's a dry and a bright day once more across much of England and Wales on Thursday. We should see some sunny spells coming through. Staying pretty damp in Western Scotland, however, and big chunk of rain then moving into Northern Ireland. Some quite heavy downpours for Northern Ireland and particularly Western Scotland building up through Thursday.

“So again, a weather warning is in place. The winds also really picking up around Irish coast and up the western side of Scotland. So, not feeling all that pleasant with temperatures 15°C, 16°C, but some more widely up into the high teens or maybe low 20s with the help of a bit of hazy sunshine across the southeast.

“It will turn a bit breezier though across England and Wales through the day. But some pretty lively gusts of wind chugging this rain into Northern Ireland and Western Scotland during Thursday evening. So, not very pleasant at all. A lot of spray, a lot of surface water on the roads as that zone of rain moves in. It's likely to increase across parts of Wales and southwest England.

“Also, as that weather front moves in and this low swings its way across Scotland Thursday night and into Friday, but then we look out in the Atlantic because over the next day or so, this low pressure is going to form and then it's going to intensify. It's going to really intensify as it heads towards the Republic of Ireland.

“The reason for that is all tied in with what's going on high in the sky and the jet stream. Now, it's as this storm system, which we’ve named Amy, crosses the jet, it really starts to pop, really starts to intensify. That's where it becomes quite a potent storm. And then it heads just to the north of Scotland. That's going to generate some very strong winds as well as some very heavy rainfall again The largest or the greatest risk from disruption from Amy will be across northern parts of Britain where there are weather warnings in place.”