Storm Brendan to bring rain and 70mph wind gusts

Parts of the UK are set for heavy rain and wind gusts of 70mph later, as Storm Brendan sweeps in from the Atlantic.

The Met Office has issued two 14-hour yellow warnings for wind, covering the UK’s west coast, Northern Ireland, Wales and north-east Scotland.

It warned of delays to travel as well as possible power cuts and large waves.

Trains in and out of Preston were delayed after the station roof was damaged, and flights between Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are suspended.

Meanwhile, all schools in the Western Isles have been closed and bus services on the islands have been cancelled, with serious disruption to ferry routes likely.

Storm Brendan, which has been brewing in the Atlantic over the last 24 hours, has already hit the west of Ireland and is forecast to move east across the UK throughout Monday.

The weather will turn “much more turbulent” later, said BBC Weather’s Simon King.

“It will cause some disruption today to some travel, particularly for Scotland, northern and western areas with gales developing,” he said.

The rain is set to reach eastern and central areas of the UK on Monday afternoon.

Strong winds are expected “widely across the UK” with gusts of between 65 and 70mph around the Irish Sea coasts.

And there could be storm force gusts of between 85 and 90mph around the west of Scotland, forecasters say.

The Met Office has two yellow weather warnings for wind – meaning travel disruption is likely – in place on Monday, lasting from 10:00 GMT until midnight.

They cover Northern Ireland, Wales, the South West and the west coasts of England and Scotland, as well as north-east Scotland.

It said people should expect:

• Some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport, particularly for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges
• Some bus and train services affected, with some journeys taking longer
• Coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities affected by spray and/or large waves
• Some short-term loss of power and other services

Three more yellow weather warnings are in place for Tuesday – including one for wind across England and Wales from 12:00 GMT until midnight and another for snow and ice in northern Scotland.

The third warning, for heavy rain, covers south-east England from 13:00 on Tuesday until 9:00 on Wednesday.

Already on Monday morning, gusts of up to 60mph have been reported in Belmullet in the Republic of Ireland.

P&O said its 10:30 ferry departures on Monday from Larne and Cairnryan have been cancelled.

On Monday morning rush hour, trains running through Preston station were suspended after the roof was damaged and safety concerns were raised.

Services are now returning to normal, Northern Rail said.

Meanwhile, Skybus – which operates flights between the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall – have put flights on hold, while some have been cancelled.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has issued three flood warnings and 16 flood alerts around the country.

“Combined with naturally high tides next week, the sustained winds will create an unusual and dangerous combination of tide, storm surge and inshore waves,” said Sepa.

“There is therefore a risk of coastal flooding to all Scotland’s coastal areas. The highest risk is around high tides from midday Monday through to Tuesday afternoon.”

Storm Brendan’s name was picked by the Irish meteorological service Met Éireann.

In December, Storm Atiyah swept into the UK, leading to power cuts and travel disruption in Wales and the South West.

This year’s storm names have already been chosen with Ciara the name for the next storm.