Wet and windy weather for some

Fronts will arrive to the west of Scotland early on Wednesday and will bring with them persistent and at times heavy rain for much of Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of northern England into Thursday.

A Yellow Warning for rain has been issued from Wednesday morning through to Thursday afternoon for much of the west of Scotland, with a chance of travel disruption and dangerous conditions near coastal areas.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist Jason Kelly said: "A band of rain will move in from the west on Wednesday morning and will become slow moving with heavy bursts of rain at times, especially over high ground in Scotland. This rain will persist into Thursday for many within the warning area, with 75-100mm likely quite widely, with higher accumulations possible over the higher ground.

"Gusty winds will accompany the rain, with 50-60mph possible near Irish Sea coasts and the west of Scotland. Coupled with spring tides, this could lead to some dangerous coastal conditions before winds gradually ease later on Thursday."

Douglas Cairns from Transport Scotland said: "The forecast weather conditions are likely to impact driving in the areas covered by the yellow warning, so our advice to motorists is to plan your journey, leave extra time if needed and drive to the conditions.

"The Traffic Scotland website gives people access to the latest information on the trunk road network and the Traffic Scotland X/Twitter page is also updated regularly so you can check if your route is available before setting off.

"There may also be disruption on other modes of transport, so please check with your operator before setting off if you're planning to travel by rail, ferry or air."

Bands of rain will weaken as they gradually move south and east through Thursday, though it will remain an unsettled day for many, with cloud and scattered showers at times.

Find WeatherReady advice on travelling in rain and wind.

Does Ex-Hurricane Ernesto influence the outlook?

Hurricane Ernesto, which brought impacts to Bermuda, is weakening rapidly as it moves into the Atlantic and is expected to be downgraded to an ex-tropical system by Tuesday evening as it continues east over the cool waters of the North Atlantic. However, the remnants of the system plays a background role in some of the rainfall totals we may see on Wednesday and Thursday.

Jason Kelly explained: "While Ernesto itself will have dissipated by the time it reaches the UK, left over warm air and moisture will help to pep up some of the rainfall totals in the northwest in the coming days."

Mixed picture for weekend weather

The weekend weather is likely to start on an unsettled note initially, with overnight rain from Thursday and into Friday for many, which may be slower to clear from the far southeast. But, there's likely to be plenty of dry and fine interludes for parts of England and Wales, especially later in the weekend.

Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Dan Rudman said: "While Friday may start wet for some, it is likely to become much more settled through the weekend, though some showers will continue to feed into northwestern areas at times, and there is a chance of the band of rain lingering over the far southeast of England through Saturday.

"By the time we get to Sunday, much of England and Wales is likely to be in a drier period of weather, with temperatures around or slightly below average for the time of year with some sunny spells likely, though there's a chance of some showers glancing western areas at times, particularly the northwest. This more settled period is likely to persist into Monday for much of England and Wales, with only intermittent showers drifting in from the northwest at times.

"We'll be able to add more details to the weekend forecast in the coming days, so it's important to stay up-to-date with the latest information."

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