The UK is braced for some of its “heaviest and strongest winds” so far this autumn when “severe gales” of up to 55mph hit parts of the country.

The Met Office said the wet and windy weather blowing in on Friday will have started on the other side of the Atlantic.

However, contrary to some reports, it does not expect these conditions to be the remnants of Hurricane Fiona, which unleashed devastation in Canada after coming ashore as a post-tropical cyclone on Saturday.

UK weather: Get the five-day forecast where you are

The Met Office has warned “heavier rain and strong winds” will spread quickly eastwards on Friday, when areas including Southampton and Plymouth in the southeast of England could see highs of 17C.

A temperature of 16C has been predicted in London, with 15C in Belfast and 14C in Glasgow.

Met Office meteorologist Annie Shuttleworth stressed the forecasted weather is not unusual for the time of year, saying the impacts are expected to be limited at this stage.

England just had its joint hottest summer on record – in data that stretches back to 1884

More droughts and flooding predicted as La Nina weather pattern goes into third consecutive winter

England faces longer and drier summers, Met Office research suggests

She said: “The strongest winds will affect northwestern Scotland and Northern Ireland where severe gales are possible, up to 55mph, during Friday morning and afternoon.

“There will also be strong winds along the south coast on Friday afternoon and evening, where there is a chance of gales, for a short period of time.”

She added: “We are expecting the strong Atlantic jet stream to develop and push a deep area of low pressure across the Atlantic that will bring a spell of rain to the UK on Friday with some strong winds following.

“It is likely to bring some of the heaviest rain and strongest winds we’ve seen so far this autumn.

“Saturday will be an unsettled day with blustery showers and perhaps some more persistent rain along the south.

“By Sunday however it’ll be a drier and calmer day across the UK.”

Related posts:

Does the AstraZeneca vaccine still pass the risk-benefit analysis for young people? More than 5.6 million people in UK now fully vaccinated against COVID Man charged with murder of police community support officer Julia James in Kent Police rescue couple who got trapped in their car while ‘strengthening their relationship’ Man arrested on suspicion of murder of Sabina Nessa England reported record number of new COVID cases on Christmas Day ‘Incredibly emotional’: Search and rescue dog missing for six days over Christmas has been found Storm Malik forecast to deal ‘glancing blow’ to UK this weekend as Met Office issues yellow weather warnings UK records 89,176 new COVID cases and 277 deaths in daily figures Drought declared in several parts of England Pensioner cleared of causing five-month-old baby’s death by careless driving due to undiagnosed dementia ‘It won’t really scratch the surface’: £150 extra disability cost-of-living help ‘not enough’