When will Storm Isha hit the UK and how long will it last?

  • Weather
Credit: PA

The Met Office has named the next storm to hit the UK which is set to bring gusts of up to 80mph over the weekend.

Storm Isha will hit the UK on Sunday, with amber warnings for parts of the UK meaning danger to life in coastal areas due to large waves and debris being blown inland.

The Met Office also warned of power cuts and damage to buildings due to the gusts while yellow warnings for rain have been issued covering the whole of the UK.

Here, ITV News explains where the weather warnings are in place and how long the storm is expected to last.

What weather warnings are in place?

An amber warning has been issued for wind in for most of the UK.

Yellow warnings for rain are in place for the whole of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland.

The amber warnings are in place from 6pm Sunday until 6am Monday while the rain warnings come into force at 6am on Sunday until 6am on Monday.

Will it still be cold this weekend?

Warmer temperatures will replace the recent snow and sub-zero chills at the weekend, with highs of 12C possible on Sunday.

The forecaster says there could be travel disruption, damage to buildings and flying debris, as southwesterly winds of up to 80mph could hit exposed coasts and there could be gusts of up to 60mph inland.

During a wet and windy weekend across northern England, the heaviest downpours are expected during Sunday as 30-50mm could fall in many places and there is potential for peaks of 80-100mm over hills.

Heavy rain could also lead to flooding and transport disruption on Sunday in Scotland, Wales and north west England.

Snow and ice blanketed parts of the UK this week Credit: Danny Lawson/PA

Have there been more storms than usual this year?

Storm Isha marks only the second time in a UK storm season that the letter I has been reached in the alphabet.

Storm seasons run from the start of September to the end of the following August.

The Met Office began naming storms in 2015.

The first time the letter I was reached was in February 2016, with Storm Imogen.

The furthest a storm season has reached in the alphabet was the letter K, when Storm Kate was named in March 2016.

Last year’s storm season, which ran from September 2022 to August 2023, only made it as far as the letter B, with Storm Betty in August 2023.

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