Storm Jocelyn is coming hot on the heels of Storm Isha

  • Weather

Storm Jocelyn is set to batter the UK on Tuesday only two days after Storm Isha caused widespread disruption

Met Eireann has named our second storm in 48 hours: Storm Jocelyn. 

This has been the most active start to a storm season since records began and the earliest that we have reached the letter 'I' in the alphabetical storm-naming convention introduced by the Met Office. 

Hot on the heels of Storm Isha, which brought winds touching nearly 100mph on Sunday night, Storm Jocelyn will bring windy conditions right across the UK with northern areas likely to be worst affected. 

The Met Office confirmed amber and yellow weather warnings for parts of the UK on Tuesday and into Wednesday.

What weather warnings are in place for Storm Jocelyn?

  • From 6pm on Tuesday to 8am on Wednesday an amber warning is in place as a spell of strong winds is expected to affect western and northern Scotland;

  • From 7am to 6pm on Tuesday a yellow rain warning is in place with flooding and disruption expected in western Scotland;

  • From 11am to 7pm on Tuesday a yellow rain warning is in place could result in flooding in the north west of England;

  • From 12pm on Tuesday to 3pm on Wednesday a yellow wind warning is in place with disruption to the transport network expected across the Midlands and southern Wales;

  • From 4pm on Tuesday to 1pm on Wednesday a yellow wind warning is in place for the north of England, north of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland;

  • A Status Orange wind warning has been issued for the western coast of Ireland, with "very strong" gusts expected in Donegal, Galway and Mayo. The warning is in place from Tuesday at 6pm to the early hours of Wednesday morning, Ireland's Met Eireann confirmed.

Storm Jocelyn is the tenth named storm to hit the UK since the season began in September.

Each storm is named when it poses a risk to people. They are given names beginning with consecutive letters of the alphabet.

The record number of named storms in one year is when the Met Office began the practice in 2015/16, with Storm Katie being the eleventh and final storm of the season.

If there are two more named storms between next week and August, this year will mark a new record.

How unusual is it to have back-to-back storms? 

We certainly don't see this very often.

And if you think we've had more than our fair share of wind and rain recently, you'd be right - we've actually had our most active start to storm season on record.

Why is this happening? Is it to do with climate change?

There are a number of contributing factors to the frequency and strength of the storms we've seen so far this season.

The entire country was subject to wind warnings issued by the Met Office as gusts topped 99mph in places Credit: PA

For one, we are in an El Nino phase at the moment. Simply put, this is the name given to the naturally occurring phenomenon where the surface water around South America, for a time, becomes warmer than average.

This has the effect of releasing more energy into the air, resulting in "bigger weather" for a time - stronger winds, heavier rain, and more powerful storms.

On average, El Nino occurs every two to seven years. Added to this, we also have the effects of climate change with last year being the warmest on record.

It is very difficult to attribute one or two events to climate change - instead, they are studied alongside others as a climactic trend.

General consensus though is that the heating of the earth's surface is exacerbating the effects of a naturally occurring phenomenon. 

When will Storm Jocelyn hit and where will be most affected?

Storm Jocelyn is moving in from the Atlantic overnight and will make landfall across Northern Ireland by rush hour on Tuesday morning, spreading wet and windy conditions eastwards across the UK throughout the day. 

It is worth noting that the biggest impacts from the storm will be felt across the northern half of the UK - in particular across far northern and northwestern areas overnight Tuesday night into Wednesday.

An amber warning has been released, with winds expected to reach up to 80mph. 

Is there another storm likely after Jocelyn?

Conditions will go back to more "winter as usual" after the winds die down throughout Wednesday.

But, with plenty more time left this season, more storms are likely to be an inevitability. 

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