Britain is bracing for a bout of wild weather on Thursday, October 23, 2025, as a deepening low-pressure system barrels across southern and eastern England, bringing with it heavy rain, powerful winds, and a slew of safety warnings. The Met Office has issued a series of yellow weather alerts for both wind and rain, covering a broad swath of the country from the southwest up through the east coast, and forecasters are urging the public to prepare for potential travel disruption, power outages, and even the risk of localised flooding.
The warnings come as the UK’s weather experts track a system that could, under the right circumstances, be named as a storm—either by the Met Office itself or by one of its European counterparts. While the impacts in the UK are not currently expected to meet the threshold for an official storm name, meteorological agencies in France, Belgium, or the Netherlands may decide otherwise if the weather system’s worst effects are felt across the Channel.
According to the Met Office, rain will begin spreading into southern England late on Wednesday, October 22, before pushing northeast through Thursday. Rainfall totals are expected to reach 20–30mm widely, with some areas—including Devon, Cornwall, and parts of eastern England—potentially seeing 30–50mm or more. That’s a substantial soaking by any standards, and it’s set to be accompanied by a blast of north-westerly winds. Gusts of 45–55mph (70–90km/h) are forecast for many areas, while the east coast could see winds ramp up to 65mph (105km/h). There’s even a chance, albeit a small one, that isolated gusts could briefly hit 75mph (120km/h) later on Thursday, raising the spectre of fallen trees, power cuts, and further delays for anyone on the move.
Deputy chief meteorologist at the Met Office, Dan Harris, explained the evolving situation: “The rain is expected to arrive from the southwest during Wednesday evening, before spreading northeast to many parts of England and Wales during Thursday, leading to difficult driving conditions and the risk of flooding in a few places. At the same time, winds are expected to pick up along south coastal areas in particular.” He added, “However, it is not until Thursday morning that significantly strong northwesterly winds will first begin to affect parts of the west with gusts of 45 to 55 mph, locally 65 mph around coasts expected. A little later, northerly winds are expected to develop more widely across eastern areas, most likely of similar strength, but there is a small chance of gusts in excess of 70 mph should the low pressure system end up being at the stronger end of expectations.”
The Met Office’s yellow weather warnings are staggered throughout the day, with three separate alerts kicking in at midnight, 4am, and 9am respectively, and lasting up to 15 hours in some regions. Wind warnings are in force from 9am until midnight, while rain warnings last from the start of Thursday until 9pm. The affected areas cover a long list of counties and cities across England and Wales, including Derby, Leicester, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, and many more.
With so much of the country in the firing line, the Met Office is advising people to take sensible precautions. That means securing loose items around the home—think bins, garden furniture, trampolines, tents, sheds, and fences—to prevent them from becoming dangerous projectiles in the wind. Travellers are being urged to check road conditions and public transport timetables, amending their plans if necessary to avoid the worst of the weather. “Prepare to protect your property and people from injury,” the Met Office said in a statement. “Give yourself the best chance of avoiding delays by checking road conditions if driving, or bus and train timetables, amending your travel plans if necessary. People cope better with power cuts when they have prepared for them in advance. It’s easy to do; consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items.”
Coastal communities are being given additional warnings, as large breaking waves could pose a risk even from the shore. The Met Office cautioned, “If you are on the coast, stay safe during stormy weather by being aware of large waves. Even from the shore large breaking waves can sweep you off your feet and out to sea. Take care if walking near cliffs; know your route and keep dogs on a lead. In an emergency, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.”
With speculation swirling about whether the low-pressure system will earn a storm name, BBC weather presenter Simon King weighed in on the debate. “While the impacts for the UK are not thought severe enough for this low pressure system to be named by the Met Office, we could still end up talking about a named storm. With much stronger winds expected in northern France or Belgium on Thursday, impacts there could be much more severe. In this instance, Météo France or the Royal Meteorological Institute in Belgium could name it Storm Benjamin,” King explained. If the Netherlands determines the system is more threatening there, it could be dubbed Storm Bram, based on the shared naming list used by the UK, Ireland, and the Netherlands. Storm names are assigned in alphabetical order, with Benjamin and Bram being the second names on the respective lists for southwestern Europe and the UK-Ireland-Netherlands group.
Meteorological agencies across Europe will coordinate before confirming any storm name, aiming for consistency across forecasts and public messaging. This cross-border approach reflects the increasingly collaborative nature of European weather forecasting, as weather systems rarely respect national boundaries.
The timing of the warnings couldn’t be more critical, as the system is expected to clear into the North Sea by Thursday evening. Still, forecasters stress that uncertainty remains around the exact intensity of the low-pressure area, and impacts could shift as new data comes in. The public is therefore advised to monitor updates closely through the Met Office and BBC Weather channels, and to plan for possible disruption.
For those who remember previous storms that battered the UK, the advice will sound familiar, but it’s no less important. With the potential for flooding, travel delays, and power outages, a little preparation could make all the difference. As always, the British weather keeps everyone guessing—so best to be ready for whatever Thursday has in store.
