UK weather: Storm Darragh to bring 80mph gusts as amber wind warning issued

An amber warning for wind has been issued for parts of the UK, with the arrival of the fourth named storm of the season.

Storm Darragh is expected to bring gusts of up to 80mph late on Friday and into Saturday.

The warning for “potentially damaging” winds is in place on Saturday from 3am until 9pm for the west coast of the UK from South Ayrshire in Scotland down to Cornwall, as well as in Northern Ireland.

A separate yellow warning for wind has been issued for much of England, Wales and southern Scotland from 3pm on Friday until 6am on Sunday.

The warnings come as a result of areas of low pressure propelled towards Britain by the jet stream (a flow of winds high in the atmosphere). At the core of the jet stream, speeds are expected to top 240mph, driven by cold air across the northern US and Canada.

Storm Darragh was named by the Met Office on Thursday morning. The names run in alphabetical order, starting this season with Ashley, Bert and Conall.

Last week, questions were raised over a lack of sufficient warnings of flooding after Storm Bert wreaked havoc in parts of south Wales and south-west England as a month of rain hit sodden towns and villages.

Extreme rainfall is more common and more intense because of human-caused climate breakdown across most of the world. This is because warmer air can hold more water vapour.

Flooding has most likely become more frequent and severe in these locations as a result, but is also affected by other factors, such as the existence of flood defences and land use.