South coast prepares for battering by strong winds, heavy rain and flooding on Friday amid fallout from Hurricane Ian in United States

The national weather service has warned ‘heavier rain and strong winds’ will spread to areas from Southampton to Plymouth on the south coast amid highs of 17C.

Flooding may affect parts of the country on Friday after torrential downpours, while a jet stream bringing low pressure will swoop in from the west coast, leading to possible wind damage.

Hurricane Ian has rapidly intensified off Florida’s south-west coast with top winds of 155mph, just short of the most dangerous Category 5 status, with the Met Office suggesting its impact will be felt across the Atlantic.

Speaking of the jet stream, Chris Almond, a meteorologist at the national weather service, said: ‘This will bring a much wetter and windier spell than we’ve seen so far this autumn, but nothing that is unusual for the time of year.

‘The fast-moving system will bring strong gale force winds, locally in excess of 60mph, and heavy rain into the north west before pushing quickly south east through the day.

‘We could see some minor impacts, such as surface water flooding or minor wind damage, as well as some short-lived impacts on ferry crossings, especially in exposed areas of western Scotland and eastern areas of Northern Ireland.

‘Later in the day, parts of south-east England could experience winds of around 55mph, which may impact the English Channel too.’

Areas such as Southampton and Plymouth on the south coast could see highs of 17C, with 16C forecast in London and Cardiff, 15C in Belfast and 14C in Glasgow.

The Met Office said showers, which may turn heavy, will continue in southern areas on Saturday, with some sunny spells further north.

For all the latest news, traffic and travel, what’s on, Pompey, sport and breaking stories visit The News’s website.

We will be bringing you all of the latest stories from across Portsmouth and surrounding area throughout the day.

If there is a story you think we should know about, you can contact us via our email [email protected] or via our social media channels – Facebook or Twitter.