The UK is bracing itself for the arrival of Storm Ciarán, the third storm to hit the country since September. The Met Office has issued multiple weather warnings, including a 'danger to life' alert,

as the storm brings heavy rain and strong winds.

While most of the warnings are yellow, signifying the lowest level of disruption, there are two amber alerts indicating a 'potential risk to life.' Portsmouth and the surrounding areas are expected to experience travel disruption due to heavy rain and winds, while other parts of England's South West, South, and South East, as well as southern Wales, face very strong and potentially damaging winds.

The storm, which will bring gales of up to 85mph and torrential rainfall, is forecasted to hit the exposed coastal regions along the English Channel hardest. The amber alerts for powerful winds warn of power outages, flying debris, damage to buildings, travel disruptions, and intense waves along coastal areas.

The Environment Agency has issued more than 27 flood warnings and 114 flood alerts across the UK, with the heaviest rain expected in the southern and western areas. The saturated ground and ongoing heavy rainfall could lead to further flooding in regions struggling to recover from recent downpours.

Chris Almond, the Met Office deputy chief meteorologist, warned that winds associated with Storm Ciarán could gust up to 80mph along the south coast, with exposed areas potentially seeing 90mph gusts. Further inland, winds could reach 50-60mph.

He advised that, "It's probably quite a nasty storm, this one." Photo by cjohnson7 from Rochester, Minnesota, Wikimedia commons.