An amber weather warning has come into force in parts of the UK as Storm Austen brings a swathe of powerful winds and heavy rain on Friday.South West England is forecast to be worst hit by the storm which the Met Office warns could bring travel disruption, power cuts and a possible danger to life.Wind gusts of 60-70mph, with 80mph in exposed locations, are forecast across Cornwall and parts of Devon, where the Met Office warning is in force until 10:00 BST. Wind gust of 45-60mph are forecast more widely across most of England and Wales, where two less severe yellow warnings will be in force throughout Friday.
A separate yellow warning will also cover part of Scotland, including Glasgow and Edinburgh, from 06:00 BST.Winds of this strength will blow some trees over, bringing a significant risk of transport disruption and there may also be some power cuts. Winds of this strength will blow some trees over while buildings could also potentially be damaged, leading to a risk of flying debris at the height of the storm.A number of schools are closed in the impacted areas with many others opening later than usual to avoid the strongest winds.Train cancellations and speed restrictions are possible because of the increased danger of branches and trees blocking railways.
A number of ferry sailings have also been cancelled, including crossings between Pembrokeshire and Ireland.Yellow wind warnings cover most of England and Wales with gusts of wind on Friday forecast to reach 45-60mph, with 70mph gusts likely in some places. As strong as these winds are, the most damaging winds will run to the south of the low pressure centre.That puts north-west France firmly in the firing line and parts of Brittany could see gusts close to 90mph.
The Channel Islands are also expecting severe gales with gusts up to 80mph.All schools in Jersey have been told to close on Friday because of the high winds predicted to be caused by Storm Austen.Heavy rain in Scotland may cause some localised flooding with a Met Office yellow warning for 20-40mm of rain forecast with up to 80mm accumulating in a few areas through Friday.