Weather warning issued ahead of Storm Abigail

The first of the Met Office’s named storms, Abigail, is due to batter parts of the United Kingdom from tomorrow – but the Midlands will escape the worst of the weather, according to forecasters.

And while our northern counterparts will be battening down the hatches for the arrival of Storm Abigail the south will be unusually warm with only mild winds.

“But what it will mean is a few stronger winds as you experience the outer edges of the storm passing over Scotland”.

The Met Office said “squally, showery rain” is expected for the large part of the day, with a risk of hail and thunder.

“We could see quite a lot of lightning as well and high tides, so with that in mind we have upgraded to amber”.

Strong winds and heavy rain is also expected across Wales and the north of England, with warnings that surface water and gusts could cause rush-hour delays.

UK Met Office chief forecaster Paul Gundersen said: “Severe gales will develop later on Thursday, increasing storm force for a time as they veer westerly overnight into early Friday”.

Wind gusts over 85 km/h (50 mph) are expected in these areas with wind gusts of 95-115 km/h (60-70 mph) possible over northern and western Scotland, as well as Orkney and Shetland.

There’s no let-up on Saturday, with a breezy morning followed by heavy rain.

Motorists have been warned to expect disruption on the roads and problems with power supplies from 9pm on Thursday up until Friday afternoon.

A storm will be named when it is deemed able to potentially cause “substantial” impact on the United Kingdom or Ireland.

It is hoped that the naming of storms will raise awareness of severe weather and ensure that key messages reach as many people as possible.

Sky’s weather presenter Nazaneen Ghaffar said: “Eventually the winds will ease through the day as Abigail moves away, however it’ll still be windy for all areas with blustery showers”.

The Met Office announced its Name Our Storms project in September, and thousands of suggestions were e-mailed in, including winners such as Nigel, Gertrude, Rhonda, Phil and Steve.