A low-pressure system which will bring high winds and rain to parts of the UK has been named Storm Otto by the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI). Storm Otto will move east across the far north of the UK from the early hours of Friday morning, likely bringing gusts in excess of 75mph to some northern areas.
Met Office Chief Meteorologist Andy Page said: “Storm Otto will bring high winds and rain to the UK, with some northern parts of Scotland and the northeast of England likely to get the strongest gusts of wind, possibly in excess of 75mph. Warnings have been issued and could be updated as Storm Otto develops.
“There’s a chance of travel disruption and high-sided vehicles could be particularly prone to disrupted plans in this set-up. There’s associated rain with Storm Otto, with 40-50 mm of rain likely to fall over parts of western Scotland.”
Potential impacts highlighted in the warning also the likelihood of large waves, especially in North Sea coasts, as well as a chance of some damage to buildings and infrastructure.
While Storm Otto will bring impacts to the UK, Denmark is expected to get more severe weather on Friday afternoon, resulting in them naming the system, which has now been adopted by the Met Office as per storm naming arrangements.
Otto is the first named storm to directly impact the UK this storm naming season (from September 2022). The first storm named by the Met Office, Met Eireann or KNMI this season will still be Storm Antoni, in accordance with the 2022/23 storm name list.
Weekend ahead
Once Storm Otto has passed the UK late on Friday, the set-up for the weekend weather is largely unsettled, with a mix of cloud and rain likely on Saturday. There’s a chance of some cool conditions overnight in Scotland on Saturday, which would increase the likelihood of ice forming for some.
Sunday will see some clearer spells for a time early on, albeit with showers possible in northwestern areas, before some more persistent rain looks to build in from the north late on Sunday.
