Storm Francis to hit Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway
Last updated 25th Aug 2020
Storm Francis - the second "unseasonable'' storm in less than two weeks is expected to make its presence felt across Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway
Winds of up to 70mph are expected along the coast during the next 36 hours along with up to 90mm of rain.
It follows a similar period of rough weather towards the end of last week, in which Storm Ellen caused thousands of power outages across the UK.
A heavy rain warning is in place for southern Scotland place until Wednesday.
Nicola Maxey of the Met Office said: Since 2015 when we started naming storms, we have never had to name a storm in August - and now we've had two in a few days.
"There are a lot of people on holiday in the UK at the moment, going camping and on walking breaks, many in coastal locations where the winds are likely to be stronger, so it is worth checking on the Met Office website ahead of time.''
The rain is expected to be heaviest in Northern Ireland and south-west Scotland where up to 90mm in total could fall as the storm moves from west to east.
Storm Francis is expected to clear by Wednesday lunchtime, leaving a brighter and more settled outlook for the remainder of the day, the Met Office said.
It added that the bank holiday weekend would likely be a mixture of sunshine and some scattered showers across the country.
Forecasters said the winds were "unusual'' for August, but would have to go some way to beat the current record wind gust speed of 87mph recorded at The Needles on the Isle of Wight in August 1996.
Likewise, the wettest August on record in the UK was in 1912 when 167.3 mm was recorded across the country as a whole.
Between August 1 and 22, the UK as a whole had seen some 72.7mm of rainfall - around four-fifths of the average rainfall for the month.
No new storm is currently forecast this month, meaning the next storm will begin with "A'' rather than "G" as the storm-naming calendar resets on September 1.
Hear all the latest news from across Ayrshire on the hour, every hour, at West FM. Listen on FM, via our West FM app, on your DAB radio, online at WESTFM.co.uk, or say ‘Play WEST FM’ on your Smart Speaker.