Britain to be battered by 75mph winds this weekend as Storm Otto roars in

16 February 2023, 13:10

Parts of the UK could be hit by gusts in excess of 75mph when the first named storm of the year sweeps through the country in the early hours of Friday morning.

Names by forecasters at the Danish Met Service, the storm could bring 75mph winds to areas around the northeastern coast of England and most of Scotland.

Storm Otto, the first to be named this Winter, is predicted to move eastwards across the far north of the UK until Friday afternoon.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist Andy Page said: “Storm Otto will bring high winds and rain to the UK, with some northern parts of Scotland and the northeast of England likely to get the strongest gusts of wind, possibly in excess of 75mph. Warnings have been issued and could be updated as Storm Otto develops.

“There’s a chance of travel disruption and high-sided vehicles could be particularly prone to disrupted plans in this set-up.

"There’s associated rain with Storm Otto, with 40-50 mm of rain likely to fall over parts of western Scotland.”

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The Met Office have issued a yellow warning for the potentially affected areas, which signals the possibility of injuries and danger to life.

They added that the storm could increase the likelihood of large waves, especially in the North Sea coasts, as well as a chance of some damage to buildings and infrastructure.

Otto is the first named storm to directly impact the UK this storm naming season - which starts in September - but Denmark is expected to encounter the most severe weather, leading them to name the system, which has been adopted by the Met Office.

The Met Office's first named storm of the season will be Storm Antoni, in accordance with the 2022/23 storm name list.

Once Storm Otto has passed the UK, the weekend weather is forecast to be largely unsettled, with a mix of cloud and rain likely on Saturday. Cool overnight temperatures in Scotland could lead to icy conditions.