Storm Elin: Brits face 55mph gusts and flooding as fresh yellow weather alerts issued for UK in bleak weekend

9 December 2023, 10:50 | Updated: 9 December 2023, 10:54

Storm Elin is bringing strong winds and flooding as the Met Office issued a series of yellow weather alerts.

A yellow weather warning for rain has been put in place for much of the North West, with the weather service saying it it "likely" homes will get flooded, and water on the roads could disrupt transport.

Some parts will get as much as 80mm of rainfall as the newest named storm of the season, Elin, rolled in.

The alert is in place until 3am on Sunday as the government issued 33 flood warnings and 184 flood alerts.

Parts of South West England, Wales, the Midlands, East Anglia and areas in the north have been told to brace for gusts of up to 55mph that could bring delays to transport and even lead to short-term power loss.

Read more: Somerset and North Devon schools shut as heavy rain causes floods in South West England

Large waves could batter coastal towns at their sea front and lorries may need to go slower on bridges and exposed roads. That alert is due to clear by the end of Saturday.

Stephen Dixon, a spokesman for the Met Office, said a band of heavy rain and wind is pushing in from the South West and travelling North Easy over today.

"By the afternoon most of the heavy wind and rain will have passed and it will just be showers for southern areas," he said.

"We will also be seeing some quite strong winds in Wales, the Midlands, northern England and Northern Ireland, particularly coastal communities around the Irish Sea. We're in for a wet and windy weekend."

And the bad weather is due to last into next week.

Mr Dixon said: "There is another area of low pressure coming on Sunday with the possibility of further warnings being issued."

It comes just days after schools were forced to shut in Somerset and North Devon because of roads flooding after heavy rain.