Weekend of wet and windy weather continues as Storm Fergus closes in

More heavy rain is expected as the second named Storm of the weekend is set to sweep across the UK.

The Met Office has warned Storm Fergus could reintroduce some gusty winds, especially in western areas, alongside further rainfall on Sunday evening.

The most impactful winds of the storm are expected to hit the Republic of Ireland, the forecaster said.

A yellow rain warning covering an area stretching from Carlisle to Sheffield was in place until 3am on Sunday morning, with as much as 30mm of rain falling on already saturated ground.

The Met Office is monitoring the weather system, and said further weather warnings could be introduced for Sunday.

Heavy rain is expected in the evening as Storm Fergus sweep eastwards producing 20 to 30mm, along with a risk of hail and thunder, the Met Office said.

The storm was named by the Irish meteorological service, Met Eireann.

The strongest winds are likely to hit south Wales and areas around the Bristol Channel.

Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said: “Strong winds will hit the south west of the Republic of Ireland before the storm makes its way further east tomorrow evening.

“There will be some further spells of heavy rain, particularly in Wales and the north of England.

“There could be strong localised gales, especially in south Wales. There’s a chance we’ll issue a weather warning, but we’re still monitoring.

“We’ll hopefully see a dryer and more settled second half to next week.”

The bad weather could cause delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport, and coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities may be affected by spray and large waves, the forecaster said.

On Saturday, Storm Elin brought strong winds and heavy downpours to parts of the UK and Ireland.

Fifty-three flood warnings were in place for England having been issued by the Environment Agency on Saturday.

The unsettled weather could continue into the start of next week, the Met Office said.