Britain’s unseasonably warm February sunshine is set to come to an abrupt end as Storm Freya is expected to batter the UK bringing gusts of up to 80mph.
The Met Office has issued weather warnings for Sunday as “very strong winds” and “intense rainfall” are expected to sweep across central and southern parts of the UK over the weekend.
Travel routes are expected to be disrupted with warnings in place for potential power cuts and damage to buildings and trees.
“Storm Freya will bring very strong winds, with some travel disruption and possible dangerous conditions late Sunday and into Monday,” the Met Office said.
Friday will begin cloudy and dry for most with patches of light rain possible.
There will be sunny spells across Wales, southwest England and Northern Ireland during the day as the rain is set to begin later in the evening.
Saturday will be cloudy with heavy rain sweeping eastwards across the country.
It will become bright in the west and northwest during the afternoon but there will be heavy showers and gales in the northwest
The weather will worsen on Sunday going into Monday as Storm Freya hits the UK bringing “dangerous weather conditions” with it.
The downturn comes after parts of Britain enjoyed the warmest February day in over a century.
The mercury rose to 20C to break the UK’s all-time high for February recorded in Greenwich, London, in 1998.
