Rain and 80mph winds forecast for UK - as second named storm in 48 hours hits

Britain's north will be pummelled by up to 80mph winds over the weekend as Storm Boelo hits the UK, forecasters have warned.

An amber weather warning for winds runs from 9pm on Saturday across Scotland, parts of the far north of England and the northeast of Northern Ireland on Saturday until 9pm on Sunday.

Storm Boelo, the second named storm of the season, follows Storm Austen which hit the southwest hard on Friday.

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Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said: "Yesterday's Storm Austen affected the far south of the UK and northern France and the Channel Islands, whereas today's Storm Boelo will be affecting the north of the UK.

"We have an amber wind warning in place across Scotland later today and through tonight and into the end of Sunday.

"With the strong winds, potentially gusts exceeding 80mph locally, there will be some widespread travel disruption across Scotland, possibly northern parts of Northern Ireland and the far north of England as well through the next 24 to 36 hours."

The predictions of strong winds have led to rail lines being closed in Scotland, with Network Rail announcing that services south and west of Kilwinning in North Ayrshire will stop from 9pm on Saturday.

Further north the Oban and Mallaig lines will close on Saturday from about 10pm.

On Sunday, the line between Kyle of Lochalsh and Achnashellach in the Highlands will be closed from the start of service, as well as the railway between Wick and Helmsdale.

Trains will also run at reduced speeds across much of Scotland from late on Saturday.

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Craig Gorman, head of operational weather strategy at Network Rail Scotland, said: "We know closing lines and slowing trains will have a significant impact on people's plans this weekend, and these aren't decisions we take lightly.

"But when we're facing weather of this scale, we have to put safety first and make sensible calls before conditions deteriorate."

A yellow warning for wind remains in place for the parts of England north of Manchester and Northern Ireland until 9pm on Sunday.

The Met Office also forecast rainfall in those areas and winds of 55mph to 80mph, and warned of the risk of power cuts.

As Storm Austen battered the UK's southwest on Friday, at least 31,000 homes were left without power in the South West of England alone, planes were cancelled, trees were downed and part of the historic West Pier in Brighton collapsed into the sea.

Andy Burnham said on Friday that the UK could face "a winter of greater flooding", adding that "unexpected events" are becoming "more and more common".

The Met Office also warned of a risk of flooding in some areas and, while many flood alerts were lifted, more than a dozen remained in place in England and around 10 in Scotland, with three flood warnings in England.

(c) Sky News 2026: Rain and 80mph winds forecast for UK - as second named storm in 48 hours hits