Storm Claudio: Severe weather warnings in effect

Multiple weather warnings are in effect on Wednesday as thunderstorms bring heavy rain and gale force winds to the UK and Ireland.

Level 3 warnings for strong winds are in place along the Irish coastlines throughout tomorrow which also cover western Scotland and the far west of Wales.

Peak gusts will be felt along the western Irish coast with a high of 65 mph currently expected near Belmullet. Highs of 50 mph are expected to reach Wales with gusts gradually weakening as we move east.

A spate of thunderstorms will also grip the two countries, reaching Ireland first from around 10:00am as the system continues pushing east.

Thunderstorms begin to arrive in the UK from 02:00pm to the west of Liverpool and south of Glasgow.

As evening approaches most areas will start to see a break in conditions although the system’s hook pattern means western Scotland will continue to see severe weather as the main body of the storm moves towards Europe.

Responsible for the conditions is Storm Claudio which first made an impact earlier today with wind speeds reaching 115 mph at the Needles on the Isle of Wight.

Across southern England reports of damages were being made including trees felled in Portsmouth and disrupted rail travel.

Keep an eye on Claudio, and any weather system around the world, on the WeatherRadar and be sure to check out the new LightningRadar to see lightning strikes as they occur in real-time.