Storm Ashley – live: ‘Danger to life’ warning as UK to be hit by 80mph winds

Police Scotland have advised motorists to “plan ahead and avoid unnecessary travel where possible” ahead of the “strong likelihood” of disruption on roads, while Transport Scotland has warned of likely delays to public transport, including the country’s ferry network.

Chief Superintendent Hilary Sloan, Police Scotland’s head of road policing, said: “Make sure your vehicle has sufficient fuel and is completely roadworthy, with tyre pressure and tread meeting legal requirements.

“Ensure your mobile phone is fully charged in the event you need to call for assistance and if it is likely you may be within your vehicle for long periods of time, take additional clothing and water with you.”

Despite the wet and windy weather brought by Storm Ashley, temperatures are expected to climb to highs of 17C in southern England on Sunday, Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud said.

“The strongest winds are likely to come through during the course of tomorrow afternoon,” he said. “It is going to be quite a bright afternoon but it’s going to be very windy and gusty out there, especially in the north of the country so don’t be sort of lulled into a false sense of security.”

The “very strong, severe gales” on Sunday coincide with high spring tides, which could also result in “very large waves”, warned Mr Stroud.

Outside of the warning zones, the rest of the UK, including inland areas, will still feel the impact of Storm Ashley with “very blustery” conditions and rain moving across the south and east of England, he added.

The Environment Agency’s website is listing 41 active flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, and 132 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible.

The warnings include multiple areas of the River Severn, the south Cornwall coast and the Wye Estuary.

In Scotland, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued 16 flood warnings and a further 17 alerts, as far afield as Stonehaven, Ayr and Grangemouth.

Some 13 alerts have been issued in Wales, eight of them on the country’s south coast and three on the west.

Storm Ashley, the first named storm of the season will initially hit Ireland on Sunday morning, where warnings for strong winds are in force across seven counties, including Galway, Mayo, Kerry and Donegal.

It will then track northeastwards and reach the UK early on Sunday morning, according to the Met Office, bringing with it likely power cuts, damage to buildings and travel disruption. Dozens of flood warnings are also in place.

You can find more details on what to expect in this report:

A further yellow alert for heavy rain has been issued in south Wales, Cornwall, Devon, and parts of Dorset and Somerset between 3am and midday on Sunday.

Between 15 and 25mm of rain is expected to fall in most affected areas. However upslopes exposed to the strong southerly winds could see 35 to 45mm, while potentially as much as 65mm could fall on Dartmoor, the Met Office said.

The BBC shipping forecast has issued some 30 gale warnings for locations in the waters around Britain, including near the Hebrides, Dover, the Thames and the Irish Sea.

The BBC’s shipping forecast is predicting violent storm force 11 in Shannon, Ireland.

On the Beaufort scale used to measure winds, 11 is the second highest reading, behind hurricane-force.

Storm Ashley is currently developing rapidly as it moves across the Atlantic, undergoing a process known as “explosive cyclogenesis”, according to the Donegal Weather Channel.

Storm Ashley will bring a wet and windy end to the weekend, the Met Office has said, as it published this hour-by-hour forecast of tomorrow’s weather:

Train operator ScotRail also issued advice ahead of expected disruption on Sunday, urging those travelling to check their services are still running.

Scott Prentice, the strategy and planning director at the operator said: “In order to keep our customers and staff safe, speed restrictions will be in place as a precautionary measure on some routes in Scotland, which will mean longer journey times.

“Customers should check their journey before setting off, and keep an eye on our website, app or social media feeds for live updates.”