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Storm Barbara: Heavy rain and strong winds to hit parts of UK

A woman wearing a protective face covering, shelters from the rain under a Union flag umbrella outside Buckingham Palace in central London -  DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP
A woman wearing a protective face covering, shelters from the rain under a Union flag umbrella outside Buckingham Palace in central London - DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP

A European storm is expected to bring windy conditions and some heavy rain to southern parts of the UK on Wednesday, the Met Office has said.

Storm Barbara, named by Spanish meteorologists, is due to strike Spain and Portugal from Tuesday, with some areas on the Iberian peninsula possibly seeing the equivalent of four to six weeks' worth of rain in just a few days.

But British forecasters are not expecting any "major impacts" from the storm system, highlighting that no weather warnings have been issued for the UK.

Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon said: "It's not a storm that's had any naming influence from us ... we haven't got any warnings out.

"But it will bring some some wind and rain to parts of the UK, particularly in the South tomorrow.

"From this evening, into the early hours, there will be a band of rain moving in from the South, bringing some at times heavy rain, particularly in the South East, and then following that later in the day, a period of stronger winds, particularly again in the South East."

Mr Claydon said winds could be particularly strong across "exposed coastal locations" and through the Dover Strait.

The weather map below shows a band of heavy rain which swept across the UK on Monday night into Tuesday.

"Any ferry crossings, for instance, could be quite rough," he said, adding: "It's all below warnable levels for us."

Mr Claydon said wind gusts could reach up to 40mph through the Dover Strait and in the South East, with these being "a little bit stronger" across the Channel.

He added: "It will be breezy everywhere but the stronger winds are confined to the south-east of the UK.

Rainfall on Wednesday is forecast to be 0.6in-0.8in (15mm-20mm) widely, with the chance of up to 1.6in (40mm) in some parts in total through the day.

Mr Claydon said the UK can expect "unsettled" weather for the rest of the week.

"That wind and rain clears off into the North Sea and after that we're left with a continued spell of unsettled conditions across the UK through the week," he said.

"There will be periods of slightly more settled conditions and at times brighter weather as well, so there will be some sunshine around.

"But generally remaining broadly unsettled, with further wind and rain to affect the UK through the weekend as well."