UK weather forecast: yellow warning for heavy rain and 60mph gales after Easter holiday heat

Heavy downpours and gales up to 60mph are forecast to blast parts of the UK this week as conditions become more unsettled.

A yellow weather warning for wind covers the west coast of England and Northern Ireland for 12 hours from 3pm on Tuesday (11 April), while a second wind alert is in place for southwest England and south Wales from 6am on Wednesday (12 April) until the end of the day.

The Met Office says strong winds are likely to cause some travel disruption and people have been warned to expect delays on the roads, railways, ferries and flights. Some short-term power cuts are also possible, and coastal routes and sea fronts are likely to be affected by spray and large waves.

Elsewhere, rain showers are forecast to douse much of the UK throughout Tuesday and Wednesday and temperatures are predicted to range from around 11C (51.8F) in northern Scotland to 16C (60.8F) in the south of England during this period.

It comes as the Environment Agency has issued eight flood alerts for scattered areas in southern England where flooding is “possible”.

The Met Office said: “After a brief lull in winds through the early hours of Wednesday, west or north-west winds are expected to increase once more during Wednesday morning, then remain strong for much of the day.

“Gusts of 40-50mph are expected widely within the warning area, but some coastal areas, especially in parts of south-west Wales and Cornwall, could see gusts above 60mph at times. Outbreaks of heavy rain or showers will accompany the strong winds.”

Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Steven Keates urged people to prepare for “a distinct possibility of some disruptive wind”, particularly in southern and western areas. He also warned there is potential for “heavy rainfall and even some snow”, although any snowfall is likely to be confined to high ground in the north of the UK.

Mr Keates added: “Although subject to a large degree of uncertainty, gusts of wind could be in excess of 60mph in some exposed upland or coastal regions, with around 35mm (1.4in) to 50mm (2in) of rain possible for some areas.”

The unsettled weather comes after a recent bout of warmth over the Easter bank holiday weekend, when the UK was hotter than Rome.

A high of 17.3C (63.14F) was recorded in Chertsey, Surrey – only slightly cooler than the hottest temperature of the year of 17.8C (64.04F), recorded in Santon Downham, Suffolk, on March 30.

The Met Office expects temperatures to turn much colder over the coming days, before recovering towards next weekend.

Which areas do the weather warnings cover?

The UK regions affected by the yellow warning for wind on Tuesday include:

North West England

• Blackpool
• Cheshire West and Chester
• Cumbria
• Greater Manchester
• Halton
• Lancashire
• Merseyside
• Warrington

Northern Ireland

• County Antrim
• County Down

SW Scotland, Lothian Borders

• Dumfries and Galloway

South West England

• Cornwall
• Devon
• Isles of Scilly

Wales

• Bridgend
• Caerphilly
• Cardiff
• Carmarthenshire
• Ceredigion
• Conwy
• Denbighshire
• Flintshire
• Gwynedd
• Isle of Anglesey
• Neath Port Talbot
• Pembrokeshire
• Powys
• Rhondda Cynon Taf
• Swansea
• Vale of Glamorgan
• Wrexham

The UK regions affected by the yellow warning for wind on Wednesday include:

London and South East England

• Brighton and Hove
• East Sussex
• Hampshire
• Isle of Wight
• Portsmouth
• Southampton
• West Sussex

South West England

• Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole
• Cornwall
• Devon
• Dorset
• Isles of Scilly
• North Somerset
• Plymouth
• Somerset
• Torbay
• Wiltshire

• Bridgend
• Carmarthenshire
• Ceredigion
• Neath Port Talbot
• Pembrokeshire
• Swansea
• Vale of Glamorgan