Storm Kathleen to hit Britain this weekend as 'danger to life' warning issued for 70mph winds and torrential rain

4 April 2024, 13:01 | Updated: 4 April 2024, 13:07

Storm Kathleen is set to hit over the weekend
Storm Kathleen is set to hit over the weekend. Picture: Alamy/Met Office

By Emma Soteriou

Storm Kathleen is set to hit Britain this weekend as weather warnings are in place for 70mph winds and torrential rain.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

The storm was named after the Met Office issued yellow weather warnings for wind, rain and snow across the west coast of England and Scotland.

Gusts of up to 70mph are expected in exposed areas of the coast on Saturday - with 50mph winds expected more widely.

Travel disruption is expected across road, rail, air and ferry services and coastal areas can expect to see large waves, causing "danger to life".

Meanwhile, snow and rain will hit much of central Scotland in the early hours of Friday morning, with a yellow warning in place until 9am.

As of Thursday morning, 12 flood warnings were issued and 102 flood alerts.

It marks only the second time a UK named storm has reached the letter K, following Storm Katie 2016.

Read more: Map shows exact date and time ‘340-mile’ snow blast to hit UK with freezing temperatures forecast across country

Read more: Exact date temperatures to soar in the UK as warmest weather of the year to see parts of country hotter than Portugal

Looking ahead at the next 10 days, Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said: "There will be some wet weather around, could be quite heavy at times, but there are also some signs of something a little bit drier coming up later on.

"For the time being though, low pressure in control as we go through the next few days, various areas of low pressure pushing their way across, bringing spells of wet weather and some blustery conditions too.

"As we head towards Friday though, we have an area of low pressure pushing towards us and this feature has actually been named Storm Olivia by the Portuguese met service. It is going to bring some blustery, showery weather across parts of the UK."

He added: "Now it's pretty unusual for us to get an area of low pressure as deep as this so close to the UK during this time of year at this stage of April.

"So it is going to be unseasonably windy and there will be some heavy rain around at times particularly across northern and western parts.

"But worth noting that across parts of the South East actually we're not going to see a huge amount of rain on Saturday and we're going to drag in some very warm air."

Despite the wind and rain, temperatures are expected to remain mild over the weekend.

"There is a good chance we could see highs of 20C which would be the first time we have seen 20C this year," Mr Burkill said.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

ynthia Erivo attends the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2025 at The Royal Festival Hall on February 16, 2025 in London, England.

Stars stun on the red carpet at 2025 BAFTAs

The head of Ofsted said children in England feel going to school is optional since the pandemic, as their parents opt to work from home instead of going to the office.

Parents working from home makes kids not want to go to school, Ofsted chief says

Oleksandr Zinchenko of Arsenal arrives at Molinuex

Millionaire Premier League star earning £150k a week loses HMRC court battle over hundreds of thousands in unpaid tax

Actress Kim Sae-ron attends 2017 Mnet Asian Music Awards at Asia World-Expo on December 1, 2017 in Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

South Korean ‘Bloodhounds’ and ‘The Man from Nowhere’ star Kim Sae-ron found dead at 24

Emergency services were called just after 7pm on Friday amid reports a woman had suffered serious injuries

'Screaming, shouting, crying': Landlady breaks silence after woman shot dead at village pub - as manhunt continues

Exclusive
Jonathan Reynolds told LBC’s Iain Dale that NATO is ‘a highly effective integrated defensive structure’, and that US requests for higher European spending on the alliance are ‘not unreasonable’.

Europe must ‘work closely’ with US to face Russia, Business Sec tells LBC ahead of emergency Ukraine summit

.T. Miller #10 of Team USA and Colton Parayko #55 of Team Canada fight during the first period in the 4 Nations Face-Off game at the Bell Centre on February 15, 2025

Gloves off: Three fights in first nine seconds as USA beat Canada to reach 4 Nations ice hockey final

Exclusive
Europe must boost defence spending if it wants peace, Ukraine's former PM has told LBC.

‘If you want peace, pay for it', says ex-Ukrainian PM as Starmer to 'overrule' Reeves and boost defence spending

Lucy Letby was ‘shocked and distressed’ during the investigation into the deaths of babies that she was later found guilty of murdering, and ‘deserves an Oscar’ if she was lying, her former boss said.

Lucy Letby was 'innocent', distressed and ‘deserves an Oscar if she was acting’ says former boss

Jockey Michael O'Sullivan at Ascot Racecourse. Picture date: Friday November 22, 2024.

Cheltenham-winning jockey Michael O'Sullivan dies aged just 24 after fall in race

Prime Minister Keir Starmer Meets With Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves At Downing Street

Starmer to 'overrule' Reeves and call for increased defence spending ahead of meeting with Donald Trump

images shared on social media show police arresting a man following the attack.

'Laughing' Syrian asylum seeker who stabbed boy, 14, to death was motivated by 'Islamic terrorism'

Axel Rudakubana has been jailed for 52 years.

FBI joins investigation into Southport killer amid claims he wiped internet search history

Heavy Rush In Trains For Last Amrit Snan On Prayagraj Kumbh

At least 15 dead in train station stampede in New Delhi

Pope Francis Attends The Weekly General Audience on Wednesday.

Pope Francis to miss Sunday prayer due to 'absolute rest' order after bronchitis diagnosis

Udoka Godwin-Malife

Burton Albion defender allegedly target of racist abuse by fan