Met Office latest: Move over Storm Elin, Storm Fergus is taking over in weekend of wet & windy weather

Move over Storm Elin, Fergus is on the way and is set to bring more wet and windy weather to the UK and the Republic of Ireland. On Saturday, Elin brought strong winds and heavy downpours, hitting the west coast of Ireland the hardest, and Sunday looks set for more of the same according to the Met Office.

Fifty-three flood warnings were in place for England having been issued by the Environment Agency on Saturday. There are still 51 flood warnings and 246 flood alerts in place covering the entire country, stretching from Carlisle in the north all the way down to the Isle of Wight in the south.

The Met Office has warned Storm Fergus could reintroduce some gusty winds, especially in western areas, alongside further rainfall on Sunday evening. The most impactful winds are expected to hit the Republic of Ireland, the forecaster said.

A yellow rain warning covering an area stretching from Carlisle to Sheffield was in place until 3am on Sunday morning, with as much as 30mm of rain falling on already saturated ground. The UK’s national weather service is monitoring the weather system, and said further weather warnings could be introduced for Sunday.

Heavy rain is expected in the evening as Storm Fergus, named by the Irish meteorological service, Met Eireann, sweeps eastwards. It is predicted to produce 20 to 30mm or rain, along with a risk of hail and thunder, the Met Office said. The strongest winds are likely to hit south Wales and areas around the Bristol Channel.

Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said: “Strong winds will hit the south west of the Republic of Ireland before the storm makes its way further east tomorrow evening. There will be some further spells of heavy rain, particularly in Wales and the north of England.

“There could be strong localised gales, especially in south Wales. There’s a chance we’ll issue a weather warning, but we’re still monitoring. We’ll hopefully see a dryer and more settled second half to next week.”

The bad weather could cause delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport, and coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities may be affected by spray and large waves, the forecaster said. The unsettled weather could continue into the start of next week.