It will be a wet and windy Halloween and start to November in Cornwall as storm systems surge in from the Atlantic.
The Met Office, based in Exeter, warns that this weekend the UK will be influenced by two active low-pressure systems, as Storm Aiden brings heavy rain and strong winds today (Saturday), followed the remains of ex-Hurricane Zeta on Sunday.
Met Éireann, the national weather service in Ireland, named the latest weather system Storm Aiden on Friday due to the strong winds and heavy rain it is bringing to the British Isles, and for which the UK Met Office has issued several wind and rain warnings for this weekend.
Met Office Chief Meteorologist Frank Saunders said: “This week has been fairly unsettled and we’ll see this typical autumnal weather continuing over the weekend, with heavy rain and strong winds expected to bring disruption and risk of flooding to some areas. Several yellow rain and warnings are in place from Saturday until Monday, covering western parts of the UK."
The ‘yellow’ weather warning for much of western Britain today means that there could be spray or flooding on roads delaying travel, flooding of a few homes or businesses is possible, bus and train journey times will probably take longer, and there may be interruptions to power and other supplies.
Across the South West of England this morning, showers will push Eastwards, with some areas experiencing downpours until midday, as well as strong winds and coastal gales. The rain will gradually fade during the afternoon, leaving behind dry conditions with some sunshine. It will feel chilly, however, with a maximum temperature of 15 °C.
After a dry evening and settled conditions, patches of rain will develop overnight for most of the region, together with generally strong winds
Deputy Chief Meteorologist, Martin Young, said: “After the heavy rain and strong winds from Storm Aiden sweeps eastwards on Saturday, another system quickly follows on Sunday that contains the remnants of ex-Hurricane Zeta, bringing further heavy rain and strong winds.”
This unsettled weather for Sunday will see rain spreading right across the region, with heavy downpours at times and the initially moderate winds changing to strong winds by nightfall. The maximum temperature during the day will be 16 °C.
Martin Young added: “Given that this rain is falling on already saturated ground from what has been a wet October, there is an increased risk of flooding in some warnings areas.
“We will continue to monitor the situation over the weekend and may update the warnings, as details in the timing and potential impacts become clearer. Therefore we’re urging people to keep a close eye on the forecast, flood alerts and warnings in their areas."