Storm Austen to bring severe gales to UK as weather warning issued

Fallen tree over a road with workmen trying to cut up and clear the branches from the road. Pedestrians walking around the tree — Image caption,
Storm Amy in October 2025 brought some damage and disruption as severe gales and heavy rain hit parts of the UK

BySimon King

Lead Weather Presenter

The first named storm of the autumn - Storm Austen - is set to batter parts of the UK with severe gales and heavy rain beginning from Thursday night.

The Met Office has issued a yellow wind severe weather warning ahead of the storm, which will come into force at midnight Friday.

Damage to buildings and transport disruption is likely, with the possibility for power cuts.

While Storm Austen will move away later on Friday, another deep area of low pressure will bring more wet and windy weather on Saturday.

BBC weather graphic showing the pressure chart and associated weather fronts. A deep area of low pressure is shown in southern England. — Image caption,
Storm Austen will move across southern England through Friday

Over the next few days there willl be heavy rain across the UK, along with strengthening winds on Wednesday around west Wales and southern England.

But, it is from late on Thursday where a rapidly deepening area of low pressure - named Storm Austen by the Met Office - starts to approach from the Atlantic.

Heavy rain will move in across England and Wales through Thursday night accompanied by strengthening winds.

A Met Office yellow wind warning will be in force from midnight on Friday to 12:00 BST and covers south Wales, south-west England and along southern coastal counties of England.

Wind gusts of up to 70mph are expected which will likely bring damage to buildings, travel disruption and the risk of power cuts.

People walking along a street lined with shops with umbreallas in the heavy rain — Image caption,
The wettest and windiest weather of the autumn will hit much of the UK over the coming days

More widely gusts of 50-60mph will be felt around west Wales and through southern England.

While the strongest winds will ease from the south-west later on Friday morning, the rest of England and Wales will stay blustery with heavy rain at times through the day.

Scotland and Northern Ireland will largely miss any of the impacts caused by Storm Austen.

Wet and windy weekend

Storm Austen will clear away into the North Sea later on Friday and while there will be a quiet spell with clear skies overnight into Saturday, another area of low pressure will move in for the start of the weekend.

This deep area of low pressure - not expected to be as severe as Austen and therefore unlikely to be named - will head towards Scotland.

Gusts of 70-80mph will affect western Scotland with delays or cancellations to ferries and restrictions on bridges.

It will turn windy elsewhere across the UK throughout Saturday with heavy rain spreading east for most of us.

Sunday will turn drier but it will remain very wind, particularly towards the north east of Scotland.