Storm Claudio: which parts of the UK will get 70mph winds, when will it hit, will Bonfire Night be affected?

Storm Claudio has brought wet and blustery weather to the UK, with strong winds reaching above 70mph in some coastal areas of England.

The effects of a storm in France saw parts of England and Wales hit with heavy showers and powerful gusts on Monday night (31 October), with the unsettled conditions carrying on until the early on Tuesday (1 November).

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for wind in the south until 8am on Tuesday and said conditions could cause disruption to travel. The Environment Agency has also issued 49 flood alerts across much of central England, from Middlesbrough down to Cheltenham, and there are three active flood alerts in Wales for areas surrounding the Gwendraeths, Loughor, Amman, Bran and Gwydderig rivers.

What is the forecast for this week?

Storm Claudio’s move eastwards on Tuesday is expected to bring showers to much of the UK throughout the day. Wales and areas in southern and central England are likely to see the most frequent rainfall, according to the Met Office. Conditions are unlikely to improve by midweek as low pressure moving in from the west is forecast to bring wet and windy weather.

The Met Office said winds are likely to be strongest along Irish Sea coastal areas, including western Wales, north-west England and south-west Scotland, as well as the east coast of Northern Ireland. It has also issued a yellow weather warning for wind on Wednesday (2 November) from the morning until the early evening.

Will bad weather affect Bonfire Night?

Three regions of the UK will be subjected to wet and windy weather on Bonfire Night, Jim Dale from British Weather Services told The Express.

He said the weather will be a ‘mixed picture’ across the UK by 5 November when many will be flocking to large scale firework displays, adding that some places will be damp and drizzly, while others will be dry. Western Scotland, Cornwall, and very northern parts of Northern Ireland will see the worst of the weather fronts.

Speaking to The Express he said: "5 Nov looks highly changeable. A wet morning for most -  heavy rain. Brightening and drying into the afternoon apart from Scotland which will remain wet for a time.

“Showers following into western areas for the evening,  but most central and eastern areas will likely dry. No frosts but breezy for many. It will be all of western Scotland, northern parts of Northern Ireland, western parts of Scotland and Cornwall, as it currently stands - but this is subject to change."

The Met Office has also issued its own forecast for this weekend which states: "Thick cloud and rain reach western parts on Friday, then through the weekend, low pressure to the northwest contrasts with higher pressure to the south and brings a changeable westerly regime for the UK.”

What have weather forecasters said?

Neil Armstrong, chief meteorologist, said: “The biggest impacts from Storm Claudio are expected in northern France, which is why it has been named as a system by Meteo-France. What it means for us in the UK is for some high winds to be possible along much of the southern coast of England.

“Some isolated and especially exposed coastal areas could see gusts in excess of 70mph, while much of the warning area will see gusts of between 50 and 60mph.”

Meanwhile deputy chief meteorologist Steven Keates said: “Within the warning area, gusts are expected of between 55 and 65mph. This is associated with low pressure moving towards the north-west of the UK, which is bringing with it some heavy rain on Wednesday, especially across parts of south-west Scotland, Cumbria and western Wales, although much of the UK will see some rain through the day.

“In addition to high winds in the warning area, many parts of the UK will experience strong and gusty winds, at least for a time, during Wednesday.”

The windy weather comes after the UK enjoyed above-average temperatures as October came to an end. Temperatures hit the 20s in some parts of the country resulting in balmy conditions for this time of year.