Heavy rain and gusts of 50-60mph hit parts of UK

Heavy rain has arrived across Northern Ireland, Wales and south-west England.

The Met Office said that strong winds including gusts of 50-60mph along exposed southern coasts has been recorded, as the nation is set to face unsettled weather in the coming days.

A blast of cold air into Wednesday morning could even see an “increasing risk of snow over the higher ground for parts of the UK, especially in the north”, the forecaster added.

Yellow weather warnings for wind and rain have been issued, telling people they may have to deal with “persistent rain” that is “heavy at times” and can extend north-eastwards across Northern Ireland and south-west Scotland on Tuesday.

People have been warned to expect some “difficult travel conditions”.

A yellow weather warning for wind, covering Northern Ireland along with London and south-east England, south-west England and Wales, is also in place for Wednesday.

It states: “West or north-west winds are expected to increase 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 and west Wales and Cornwall, could see gusts above 60-70mph during Wednesday morning.

“Outbreaks of heavy rain or showers will accompany the strong winds.”

The strong winds, low temperatures and heavy rain or showers being felt in many places is down to an Atlantic low-pressure system that is slowly moving eastwards across the UK.

Met Office chief meteorologist Matthew Lehnert said: “A low pressure system will bring a period of wet and windy weather today and tomorrow.

“Thick cloud and heavy rain will continue to push in from the west, bringing 50 to 60mph winds along western coasts. Snow is likely to fall over parts of upland Scotland overnight.

“Some disruption due to strong winds is likely on Wednesday, especially in southern and western areas, as well as the potential for heavy rainfall and even some snow, though the latter probably confined to high ground in the north.

“It will be another cool day with temperatures of 7C to 10C in the west, with 11C to 13C possible in the south-east. However, it will feel colder in the strong winds.”

The grip of the unsettled conditions is set to last for the rest of the week, with sunshine and heavy showers for many on Thursday and persistent rain in the south on Friday.

It is then set to become drier and brighter into the weekend, while temperatures may start to rise next week.