Storm Diana hits Britain bringing torrential rain and gale force winds - and there is more on the way

We may be just a few days away from meteorological winter, but autumn is giving us all a last shallacking on it's way out of the door!

We are, of course, firmly in the grip of storm season (October to March), so the current unsettled weather should come as no surprise. Nor should the 60-70mph winds hitting the west coast of the UK and stretching up to the north east of Scotland.

Storm Diana lashes Britain - and there's another low pressure coming up behind it. Credit: ITV Weather

Nor should the associated 50mm of rain that has come hand-in-hand with today's gales which have caused localised flooding and travel disruption.

Surprise or not, though, it's still thoroughly grotty to be out in!

The blame for today's stormy conditions - as opposed to yesterday's or tomorrow's - can be laid at the feet of a deep area of low pressure that the Portuguese Met Service have named Storm Diana.

As Storm Diana was first flagged in the Azores, it was the Portuguese Met Service who issued the name rather than the UK Met Office, which is why this named storm doesn't follow the UK Met Office's published naming convention.

Storm Diana will clear away northwestwards overnight tonight, only to be instantly replaced by another deep area of low pressure (as yet, unnamed) crashing in from the southwest in the early hours and bringing further wet and windy weather across the UK tomorrow.

So wet and windy yesterday. And today. And tomorrow. And actually unsettled (and rather colder) for Friday and into the weekend. Unpleasant? Certainly. Unexpected? Not at all.

The good news, though, that there are signs of something rather more settled - and indeed, colder - on the cards for next week.

A Brittany Ferries arrives in Portsmouth Harbour as Storm Diane brings 50mph winds. Credit: PA

TonightRain and the strongest winds will gradually retreat to the northeast. Another swathe of heavy rain and strong winds will move into southern England and Wales during the early hours.

ThursdayThursday will be wet and very windy again for most, though Northern Ireland and northern Scotland will be spared the worst of it. Severe gales are likely in the southwest.

Outlook for Friday to SundayFriday will be brighter but colder with blustery showers. Winds will be less strong into the weekend but more rain is likely, particularly in the south and west.