Storm Austen: Wind warning for Portsmouth and south Hampshire is extended

The Met Office has issued an updated weather warning as Storm Austen prepares to hit.

Originally the warning about strong winds was placed on south Hampshire and Portsmouth between midnight and midday on Friday, but now it has been extended until 5pm.

At the moment the forecast is for rain until the early evening, with wind speeds peaking at 54mph at lunchtime.

The Met Office has warned that travel disruption is likely, with road, rail, air and ferry services affected, and that power cuts are a possibility.

The warning places on Hampshire is yellow - an amber warning is in place for Cornwall, Devon and the Isles of Scilly from 1am. There is also a yellow warning for wind between 10am and 9pm that covers the centre of England, from the north west to East Anglia.

In the worst-affected areas, forecasters have warned of very strong north-westerly winds, with gusts of 60mph to 70mph developing widely and some gusts of up to 80mph for exposed headlands.

Neil Armstrong, chief forecaster at the Met Office, said: “This is the first stormy weather in the south of the UK this season and we expect some disruption as it moves through.

“With trees in leaf, it is likely fallen branches and trees could obstruct roads and railways so take extra care on the Friday morning commute.”

Storm Austen is the first named storm of the year. Over the weekend, Storm Boelo will then strike Northern Ireland, Scotland and parts of northern England with what the Met Office described as “impactful winds”. Yellow weather warnings have been issued for the whole of mainland Scotland, the Western Isles, Orkney and the far north of England from 6pm on Saturday to 9pm on Sunday.