Southampton, England, United Kingdom Severe Weather Alertstar_ratehome

Information on update: Warning start time brought forward to 3am to cover onset of winds across Kent and Sussex. Further details updated and wind strengths slightly increased. Storm Benjamin is expected to move from the English Channel to the North Sea during Thursday

There is a small chance of gusts of 40-45 mph across parts of Kent and Sussex arriving in the early hours of the morning and up to 55mph in coastal areas here too. Conditions are likely to improve here however, at least for a time, during Thursday morning. 

As Storm Benjamin then moves across the southeast of England, stronger northeast to northwest winds are likely to develop. Gusts of 50-60 mph are probable quite widely, with 65-70 mph possible near coasts. There is a smaller chance, should Storm Benjamin be at the stronger end of expectations, that wind gusts in excess of 70mph could develop for a time very locally, this most likely late morning and into the afternoon.

There remains considerable uncertainty over the precise track and intensity of Storm Benjamin, which will significantly impact the details at your location. Near to its centre, a marked lull in winds is likely even during the period of this warning, with a sharp increase then occurring as the centre moves away northeast.

For further details see https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings

Information on update: Reference to Storm Benjamin, and some small changes to areas at greater risk of the higher totals mentioned in further details. Storm Benjamin is expected to cross the south of the UK later Wednesday and early Thursday; confidence in its track has improved compared to yesterday but still remains lower than usual for this type of weather system which leads to continued uncertainty over the corridor of highest rainfall totals.

That said, an extensive and in places heavy swathe of rain will move into southwestern Britain later Wednesday and spread quickly northeast, with totals by early Thursday morning of widely 20-30mm, and for some places 30-50mm. There is a chance a few places could exceed this, most likely over North Devon and Cornwall and also within a broad area encompassing Lincolnshire, Humberside, East Anglia and East Midlands.

In association with the rain, conditions are expected to turn windy with gales, initially along south-eastern coasts, but more widely across southern Britain during Thursday daytime.

For further details see https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings