Weather warnings in place as UK braced for more strong winds and heavy rain

Further weather warnings have been issued as the UK is braced for more strong winds and heavy rain after storms over the weekend that left two men dead.The continued extreme weather could hamper recovery efforts in some places after Storm Boelo battered the north of the UK over the weekend and brought 84mph gusts and a third of a month’s rain to some areas in Scotland.Two men died and hundreds of thousands of households were without electricity because of the storms (Jane Barlow/PA)PA WireTwo men were killed by falling trees on Sunday – a man in his 20s in Finchley, north London, and Richard Baines, 60, in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland.Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney on Monday expressed his condolences for the two men.Mr Baines, a curator at Logan Botanic Garden, a regional garden of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, died while walking near his home during the storm.David Knott, director of horticulture at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, said Mr Baines was an “enthusiastic plantsman” and would be “deeply missed by many”.Two women were also taken to hospital after they were hit by a falling tree in Aberfeldy, Perth and Kinross, central Scotland.Power cuts hit 838,700 properties during Boelo and its predecessor by hours, Storm Austen.SP Energy Networks, which operates across central southern Scotland, said power should be restored for all its customers by 2am on Tuesday.Some schools in Scotland were closed on Monday because of the power cuts and storm damage.A yellow warning for wind has been issued by the Met Office from 6pm on Monday until 3am on Tuesday.The warning, covering parts of north-west England, Northern Ireland, south-west England, Strathclyde, south-west Scotland and Wales, forecasts gusts of 45-50mph inland and 60-65mph along exposed coasts and over high ground.The warning also said the strong winds would be accompanied by heavy rain at times, and there could be some disruption into the early hours of Tuesday.Read MoreAnother yellow Met Office warning for strong winds and potentially damaging gusts is in place from 3am on Tuesday until midnight for most of Scotland and the far north-east of Northern Ireland.On Tuesday, early rain is to clear eastern and south-eastern England, while heavier rain in the north west of Scotland will gradually turn to showers, the forecaster said.The strongest winds will continue to affect Scotland, particularly in the far north and north west where gusts in excess of 70mph are possible.The Hebrides are most likely to experience the strongest winds which could potentially last several hours.Elsewhere, there will be sunny spells and showers will continue, with some heavy rain in western areas.Conditions will begin to settle down from Wednesday as high pressure increasingly begins to influence the UK, the Met Office said.This will bring lighter winds and drier weather across much of the UK on Wednesday evening and Thursday, though western areas may remain breezy and experience a few light showers.Mist and fog could be dense and slow to clear, leaving some areas chilly and grey, while brighter spells elsewhere will allow temperatures to rise into the teens.High pressure is forecast to keep England and Wales mostly dry on Friday, with morning fog clearing to sunny spells and temperatures of 13C to 16C, the Met Office said.Meanwhile, weather fronts moving in from the Atlantic could bring cloud and rain to western Scotland or Northern Ireland.A north-south weather split may then develop over the weekend with rain affecting northern Britain on Saturday and into the night, while southern areas remain mostly dry under high pressure.Mist, low cloud and fog could create murky conditions across parts of England and Wales on Halloween, so people with outdoor plans should monitor weather updates, the forecaster said.Greg Dewhurst, senior operational meteorologist at the Met Office, told the Press Association: “Most will have a day of sunny spells and blustery showers on Tuesday, showers heaviest and most frequent in the north.People planning to go out for Halloween should monitor weather updates to stay safe, the Met Office said (Jacob King/PA)PA Wire“Thereafter for the week ahead we see a change in the weather. High pressure will build from the south over the coming days so generally settling down but potentially bringing some overnight fog at times.“This high pressure looks set to remain over the UK for the weekend too. So most places dry, though perhaps some patchy rain in the north at times.“Temperatures by day will be near or a little above average reaching around 12-16C, though perhaps some chillier nights are possible by the end of the week as high pressure builds in.”As of 9.45pm on Monday, the Environment Agency had issued 13 warnings that flooding was expected and 43 alerts where it was possible.The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said 48 flood warnings and 13 flood alerts were in place, while Natural Resources Wales reported two flood warnings and 10 flood alerts were active at the same time.Scottish Social Justice and Housing Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville on Monday urged people to continue to check their local weather forecast and follow the advice of the Met Office, Sepa and the police to stay safe.