Weather warnings issued as Storm Kathleen set to sweep in
Rain and windy weather warnings have been issued for Scotland as storm kathleen sweeps in this weekend.
Blustery conditions are set to arrive today as the storm, named by the Met Eireann, the Irish Meteorological Service, rolls in.
Gusts of 50mph are “expected quite widely” on Saturday, while some exposed areas, particularly on the coast, will see 60 to 70mph gusts with large waves also likely.
Kathleen will be the 11th named storm of the 2023/24 season, and becomes only the second to reach the letter K, after Storm Katie in March 2016.
A yellow warning for snow was also in place for early today covering central, Tayside & Fife, Grampian, Highlands & Eilean Siar and Strathclyde, with downfalls particularly expected over higher ground.
Travel disruption was possible as heavy downpours were expected across central Scotland.
The warning, covering the central, Tayside & Fife, southwest Scotland, Lothian Borders and Strathclyde areas, says there is likely to be “15-25mm of rain, much of this falling in around six hours with a few locations seeing up to 35mm overnight”.
Saturday will experience “unseasonably wet and windy” conditions, including heavy rain across parts of Scotland and potential outbreaks across western parts and North East England, Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said.
However, temperatures will be mild, despite the wind and rain, he added: “There is a good chance we could see highs of 20C which would be the first time we have seen 20C this year.”
Looking ahead at the next 10 days, Mr 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 is 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.”
RAC breakdown spokesman Rod Dennis urged drivers to slow down, keep a firm grip on the steering wheel and be prepared for a buffeting effect if overtaking high-sided vehicles, adding: “This intense period of stormy weather is going to prove extremely challenging for anyone driving on the western side of the UK.”