Storm Lilian named

Lilian will move northeast early on Friday morning, bringing strong winds for northern England and Wales, as well as parts of southern Scotland. Warnings highlight potential travel disruption, the possibility of power cuts and dangerous conditions near coasts.  

Met Office Chief Meteorologist Jason Kelly said: “Storm Lilian will bring some potentially damaging gusts during Friday morning, with gusts widely in the 50-60mph range, with the possibility of some gusts in excess of 75mph in a few places.

“There’s associated rainfall with Lilian that has also resulted in a Met Office warning for parts of Scotland. Within the warning area, another 50mm of rain is possible over high ground, with 20-30mm falling quite widely. Much of this is falling on saturated ground so increases the chance of some surface water flooding.”

Lilian will move into the North Sea on Friday morning, with reducing winds and scattered showers following for most, though further rain is likely in southern England by the end of the day.

Lilian is the twelfth named storm of this storm naming season, which runs from September through to the following September. This is the furthest through the list of names the Western European storm naming group has got since storm naming was introduced in 2015.

Find WeatherReady advice on travelling in rain and wind.

Mixed picture for weekend weather

In southern and eastern areas, fairly settled conditions will develop beyond Saturday. Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Nick Silkstone said: “Early Saturday will likely see heavy rainfall across southern and southeastern parts of England, but his should clear by mid-afternoon, with just a few showers following. Thereafter through to Monday, many southern and eastern areas will remain dry and fine, but temperatures will be at or even a touch below average.”

It will be a different story for northwestern areas though, which will see a continuation of the recent unsettled and wet weather. Nick Silkstone added: “Following a wet August so-far for the area, the northwest of the UK will continue to see periods of frequent showers, rain and strong winds.”

Following the Bank Holiday weekend for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, there are signs of more settled conditions developing into the middle part of next week, with even the chance of conditions turning hot for a time in the south and southeast.

More details will be able to be added in the coming days, so we recommend staying up-to-date with the latest forecast. 

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