Residents of north-west England and Wales are being urged to take safety action

Met Office forecasters have issued their first ‘red warning’ for wind as yet another storm batters the United Kingdom.

A vigorous low pressure system has moved in from the west, bringing a band of rain and gales across the country.

The Met Office ‘red warning of wind’ for north-west England and Wales means ‘take action’ between 1.30pm and 9pm today as the extreme conditions could pose a risk to life.

Around 10-20mm of rain are expected fairly widely with 20-30mm possible in parts of Wales and South West England.

The
strongest winds are expected during the afternoon and evening across
Wales and northern England with gusts of 90mph possible in exposed western areas, while inland and southern areas can expect 50-60mph gusts.

The Met Office has warned that these potentially damaging winds could bring down trees and cause disruption to travel and power networks.

In addition, large waves could cause problems around coastal areas.

Met Office forecast

Tomorrow will see generally less windy weather, with some scattered squally showers which could be wintry at times.

Friday
will start dry for many areas, however another band of rain is set to
push in during the day. This could bring 15-25 mm of rain, with the
possibility of 40-60 mm over high ground in the South West of England.

This could fall as snow over high ground in the north of the UK,
particularly overnight into Saturday.

The Met Office has issued several National Severe Weather Warnings
for the next few days due to the possibility of flooding and damaging
winds.

Martin
Young, Met Office chief meteorologist, said: ‘With more rain on the way
and very strong winds, it’s likely we will see more impacts over the
next few days.

‘The winds through Wednesday could see trees
brought down, which could cause disruption to transport and power
networks. Gusts will be strongest in western and northern parts of
England and Wales during the afternoon and evening.

‘Further rain both on Wednesday and Friday could also lead to further flooding.’

Pictures: The Met Office storm route forecast and archive pics of recent storms.