Strong winds and the hottest day of the year so far are expected in the UK this weekend as Storm Kathleen brings in warm air from the continent.
The Met Office said temperatures in East Anglia could reach 22C on Saturday, with wind gusts of up to 110mph expected in western regions.
The forecaster has issued a yellow weather warning for windy conditions in the north-west and south-west of England, parts of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales from 8am to 10pm on Saturday.
Met Office meteorologist Ellie Glacier said: “The storm is causing temperatures to rise because it is located further to the west of the UK and is bringing southerly winds across the UK. Stated.
“This will bring in warmer temperatures from the continent, meaning temperatures are likely to reach 22C.”
The highest temperature so far this year was 19.9 degrees Celsius, recorded at the end of January in Achfare, in northwest Scotland.
Mr Glacier said: “Storm Kathleen is likely to bring heavy rain across the UK overnight, with its effects spreading northward across the country. “Saturday will be relatively wet in most places. It should be a low start.”
Storm Kathleen is also expected to bring winds of 50 to 60 miles per hour over a fairly wide area on Saturday, with gusts of up to 110 miles per hour and large surf expected in some areas along the Irish Sea coast. I am.
There is an orange wind warning in place for Cork, Kerry and Waterford until 2pm, and an orange wind warning for Galway and County Mayo from 9am to 6pm.
A yellow wind warning is in effect nationwide from early Saturday morning until 8pm.
Forecaster Met Eireann warned that strong southerly winds would bring difficult travel conditions, fallen trees, some power outages and the risk of flooding in coastal areas.
In Northern Ireland, the Met Office has issued a yellow wind warning for counties Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Derry, with the warning in place from 8am to 10pm.
The authority warned that heavy showers could occur in parts of the region, with strong to gale southerly winds possible at times along the Down and Antrim coasts, with the potential for severe gales. are doing.
Wind gusts of up to 110 mph are possible in some exposed and coastal areas.
Mr Glacier said: “Temperatures will be above average almost everywhere, with temperatures in the west of England expected to be 15 or 16 degrees.
“However, the further west you go, the yellow warning areas with strong winds will feel a bit colder, even though temperatures are above average.”
The forecaster said winds were expected to remain strong, particularly in northern Scotland, until Sunday.
“There will still be some rain, but there should be some sunshine between those rains,” Glacier said. “Overall conditions remain unstable for much of next week.
“Another low-pressure system is moving towards the UK from Monday into Tuesday, which could bring heavy rain to large parts of the UK, especially the west.”
Storm Kathleen, named by Ireland’s meteorological agency Met Éireann, is the 11th named storm in eight months.
This is the second time the letter K has been reached during the UK storm season.
