Storm Austen is officially the first named storm of the season and is expected to bring gusts of up to 60mph to southern areas of the UK at the end of the week, according to the Met Office. As reported by The Guardian, early-week weather will feature spells of rain and showers on Tuesday and Wednesday before conditions deteriorate significantly.
By Thursday, the approaching system will move toward the south-west of the UK. Forecasters explain that an area of low pressure in the Atlantic will deepen rapidly as it is invigorated by the jet stream. A storm in the UK is named when it has the potential to cause disruption or damage that could result in an amber or red warning.
Met Office Issues Warnings for Storm Austen
The Met Office has issued a yellow severe weather warning for strong wind covering the period from midnight to midday on Friday. The warning encompasses most of south-west England, southern Wales, and parts of the south coast stretching as far east as Brighton.
Met Office deputy chief forecaster Tom Crabtree stated that while the exact track and position of the system are still being determined, an impactful period of weather is on the way. Peak gusts in excess of 70mph are possible on the most exposed coastal areas, while 50-60mph winds are likely more widely within the warning area.
Rainfall and Weekend Outlook
As the system moves from west to east through Friday, winds are expected to diminish later in the day. About 20mm to 30mm of rain is anticipated in many places. The system will then move into the North Sea late on Friday.
However, unsettled conditions will persist throughout the weekend and into the start of the following week. Forecasters indicate that more wind and rain are likely, with the heaviest rain expected to affect western areas.
Source: Storm Austen forecast to hit southern UK (source-feed timestamp 2026-10-20T11:38:01+00:00). AI-assisted report based on the cited linked article and its RSS feed; details were not independently verified.
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