Storm Austen: Met Office names first storm of the season as 70mph gusts forecast

The Met Office has named Storm Austen the first storm of autumn and issued a yellow warning ahead of gusts reaching 70mph.

• Met Office issued a yellow wind warning from midnight to midday Friday for south-west England, southern Wales, and coastal counties east to Brighton.
• Storm Austen will approach from the Atlantic late Thursday and track across southern England before clearing into the North Sea Friday evening.
• A second low-pressure system will bring further wind and rain across the UK on Saturday, with gusts of 70-80mph in western Scotland.
• Deputy chief forecaster Tom Crabtree said peak gusts above 70mph were possible on exposed coasts, with 50-60mph more widely within the warning area.