An amber weather warning has been issued for large parts of Scotland ahead of the arrival of Storm Floris, with the Met Office warning of significant disruption and potential danger to life.
The storm is forecast to bring severe winds and heavy rain as it sweeps across the UK on Monday.
The amber alert, which is in place from 10:00 to 22:00 BST, covers a wide region from the Highlands down to Scotland’s Central Belt, including major cities such as Glasgow and Edinburgh. The UK Met Office also issued a yellow weather warning for Northern Ireland and northern England from 06:00 to midnight.
Storm Floris will be the sixth named storm of the 2024–25 season and the first to hit the UK since January. Although the storm has yet to fully form, meteorologists predict a rapid drop in pressure overnight on Sunday, leading to what they describe as unusually strong winds from the west and northwest.
Wind speeds of 50 to 70mph are expected inland, while coastal regions, high ground and bridges could be exposed to gusts of 80 to 90mph. Some weather models have even indicated the possibility of gusts reaching 100mph, similar to the extreme conditions experienced during Storm Éowyn earlier this year.
The most severe winds are expected to impact western coastal areas during the late morning and early afternoon, gradually shifting eastwards towards Aberdeenshire by the evening.
With trees currently in full leaf, the risk of fallen trees and broken branches is higher than during winter months. The storm is also likely to cause power outages, transport delays and localised flooding due to intense rainfall.
Storms in August are not unprecedented. In recent years, Storm Lilian affected the UK in late August, leading to flight cancellations and festival disruptions. In 2023, Storm Antoni and Storm Betty brought further adverse conditions, and in 2020, storms Ellen and Francis caused major damage with gusts exceeding 80mph.
The arrival of Storm Floris follows the UK’s fifth warmest July on record. According to the Met Office, all four UK nations experienced one of their ten warmest Julys, continuing a trend of six consecutive months with above-average temperatures. The highest temperature so far this year was recorded on 1 July in Faversham, Kent, reaching 35.8°C.
As Storm Floris nears, residents are urged to take precautions and stay updated on local weather advisories. The combination of powerful winds and heavy rainfall is expected to test infrastructure and emergency services across affected areas.
