Prepare for gales as a full blast of autumn blows in

PaRTs of the country will be hit by gales today in a blast of autumn weather.

Forecasters expect winds of up to 60mph in many northern areas, with blustery conditions everywhere.

a second spell of strong winds could sweep across the country on Wednesday and Thursday.

Met office forecaster steven Keates said that in addition to gales, there will be heavy rain at times, some bright periods and chilly nights.

an official weather warning for strong winds is in place today for all areas north of a line from Lancashire to humberside.

Transport delays are expected, with bus and train services affected by the strong winds. gusts could even be strong enough to interrupt power supplies in some areas, the Met office warned.

‘Trees are in full leaf, so some trees could bear the brunt,’ said Mr Keates.

Winds are expected to peak at 50-60mph in the north but may reach 70mph in the windiest areas of scotland.

however, the whole country will be buffeted by winds. Mr Keates said: ‘it’s going to be a very windy day and the first good autumn gale may cause problems in the morning rush hour.’ The final remnants of hurricanes Maria and Lee are also expected to bring some heavy rain to the south and southWest later today.

but Mr Keates said: ‘it could just be a wet afternoon – you wouldn’t know it was anything to do with a hurricane.’

another spell of windy weather is predicted for Wednesday going into Thursday, with an area of low pressure affecting much of the country but no severe weather warnings in place. ‘it’s a real autumnal mixed bag,’ said Mr Keates.

The bookmaker coral has cut the odds on it being the wettest october on record to 2-1 from 4-1 after a flurry of bets yesterday. The firm is also offering 5-2 for snow this month.