Kathleen brings wuthering 70mph gusts

GUSTS of up to 70mph could hit exposed areas along the English and Scottish west coast tomorrow as Storm Kathleen batters the UK.

Elsewhere, winds could reach up to 50mph, the Met Office has said.

The forecaster has also said coastal areas can expect to see large waves.

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

Forecasters predict the approaching weather front is likely to bring a mix of dreadful conditions. Three separate weather warnings are in place for today and tomorrow, including for rain, wind and snow.

They cover Cornwall, much of Wales, parts of Lancashire and Cumbria, central Scotland and Northern Ireland. A yellow weather warning for rain on the western coast of mainland UK and Northern Ireland says: “A deep area of low pressure will bring a spell of very windy weather to parts of Britain and Northern Ireland this weekend.

“Gusts of 50mph are expected quite widely on Saturday, while some exposed spots, particularly on the coast, will see 60 to 70mph gusts with large waves also likely.”

Snow is also expected in some parts of Scotland today.

A warning is in place from 3am until 9am today for a large part of Scotland, meaning the morning commute could be affected for some people. The Met Office said in their warning: “Snow is expected to develop, particularly over higher ground, during the early hours of Friday before easing during the morning.

“Accumulating snow is expected to mainly occur above around 200 metres, with a chance of temporary accumulations below this where precipitation becomes temporarily heavy.

“Two to five centimetres of snow is expected fairly widely above 250 metres with a chance that a few places within the warning area at lower levels could see a few centimetres settle.”

Meanwhile, a separate warning for heavy rain was issued running until 9am today, covering the Glasgow and Edinburgh areas.

It could cause travel problems in this morning’s rush hour.