The first storm of the 2026/27 season is set to bring damaging winds to parts of the UK as autumn storms begin to take hold.
Storm Austen will batter parts of the country this week, with strong winds and heavy rain forecast.
The Met Office has issued a yellow wind warning for South Wales, south-west England, and southern coastal counties of England, with gusts of up to 70 mph expected to cause damage to buildings, travel disruption, and the risk of power cuts.
Widespread gusts of 50 to 60 mph are expected.
When is Storm Austen set to hit the UK?
Storm Austen will bring severe gales and heavy rain from Thursday night (October 22).
Heavy rain will move in through the night, alongside strengthening winds.
A Met Office yellow wind warning is set to be in force from midnight on Friday (October 23) to noon.
Although the strongest winds will ease from the south-west later on Friday morning, conditions will remain blustery across England and Wales with periods of heavy rain throughout the day.
Scotland and Northern Ireland are expected to escape the worst of Storm Austen’s impact.
The storm will move into the North Sea later on Friday, making way for a brief period of clear skies before another area of low pressure arrives on Saturday (October 24).
This second system, while not expected to be as intense as Austen, will bring gusts of 70 to 80 mph to western Scotland, leading to likely delays or cancellations to ferry services and restrictions on bridges.
It will also become windy elsewhere across the UK, with heavy rain spreading eastwards.
Sunday is expected to be drier, though very windy conditions are likely to persist in the north-east of Scotland.
Where did Storm Austen get its name?
Storm Austen is the first named storm of the autumn season.
To mark its 90th anniversary, Met Éireann selected names that celebrate figures from its history.
Austen is in honour of Austen Nagle, the first director of the Irish Meteorological Service and Evelyn Murphy, the first woman to present the weather on Ireland’s national public service broadcaster RTÉ.
Boelo and Chloe will follow, as previously revealed by meteorologists in September.
The UK’s Met Office, in partnership with Ireland’s Met Éireann and the Dutch national weather forecasting service KNMI, has announced the list of storm names for the 2026/27 season, with many people putting forward suggestions in tribute to loved ones and favourite pets.
People submitted names in honour of a five-year-old weather enthusiast, a much-loved Labrador puppy, meteorological pioneers and Shaun the Sheep from the popular animation Wallace and Gromit.
However, the Met Office explains that the purpose of naming storms is also serious, as it helps people take notice, prepare and stay safe in severe weather.
The organisations have been naming storms since 2015, with the list running from early September to the following August.
It coincides with the start of autumn when the likelihood of low-pressure systems and the potential for storms severe enough to be named increases.
Storms are given a name when they are deemed to have the potential to cause medium or high impacts in the UK, Ireland or the Netherlands, with wind the primary focus, although additional issues from rain or snow will also be looked at.
Under naming conventions used for storms in the North Atlantic, the list runs alphabetically, missing out Q, U, X, Y and Z.
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Holly Clements, Met Office head of warnings and guidance, said: “For more than a decade, storm naming has helped us communicate the risks from severe weather more effectively.
“A named storm provides a clear focus for forecasts and warnings, helping more people understand the potential impacts and take action to protect themselves, their families and their property.”
What is an iconic storm name that you remember in the UK? Let us know in the comments.
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