Storm Austen named: first storm of the season, 70mph gusts possible late Thursday into Friday

Update, Wednesday 16:30: amber wind warning for Devon and Cornwall

The Met Office issued an amber warning for wind for Storm Austen at 09:41 on Wednesday 21 October, covering Cornwall, Devon, the Isles of Scilly and Plymouth from 3am to 10am on Friday 23 October, UK time. It says there is a good chance of gusts of 60 to 70mph widely for a time, perhaps around 80mph on exposed headlands, that road closures are likely, damage to buildings probable and power cuts a good chance. It also extended the yellow wind warning to 2pm on Friday and to Kent. Our report on the warning has the full list and what to do.

What the Met Office said at 10:45

The Met Office named Storm Austen at 10:45 on Tuesday 20 October. Its statement says the storm will bring "disruptive wind and rain for some from late Thursday and into Friday". Tuesday and Wednesday bring spells of rain and showers for many; the focus shifts to the south-west of the UK late on Thursday as an area of low pressure forming in the Atlantic deepens rapidly, invigorated by the jet stream.

Its deputy chief forecaster, Tom Crabtree, said the exact track and position of the storm were still being determined, but that there was "an impactful period of weather on the way and the potential for disruption in places", which is why it was named. He said peak gusts of more than 70mph were possible on the most exposed coasts, with 50 to 60mph likely more widely within the warning area, and that the warnings were under constant review and could be updated as confidence increases.

The storm moves from west to east through Friday, with winds generally easing later in the day. Rain is the second hazard: 20 to 30mm in many places, with higher totals possible over high ground in the west and further north on Friday. Austen's influence wanes late on Friday as it moves into the North Sea, but the Met Office expects further spells of wind and rain through the weekend and into the start of next week, with the heaviest rain more likely in western areas.

The warning as it stands

On Wednesday 21 October the warning changed. At 09:41 the Met Office issued an amber warning for wind for Cornwall, Devon, the Isles of Scilly and Plymouth, from 3am to 10am on Friday, UK time, with a good chance of gusts of 60 to 70mph widely for a time and perhaps around 80mph on exposed headlands. It extended the yellow wind warning to run from midnight on Thursday night to 2pm on Friday 23 October, added Kent, and raised the likelihood of significant impacts to medium, 25 to 50%: 23 council areas in England and 16 in Wales. London and north Wales are not included. The full list of council areas is in our report on the warning. A yellow rain warning also covers southern, central and north-east Scotland from 6am on Friday to 3am on Saturday.

The yellow warning is now rated medium, 25 to 50%, with a significant impact: road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected, some roads and bridges may close, power cuts may occur, some damage to buildings could happen, and injuries from flying debris are possible. The amber warning, rated high, 50 to 75%, says most of these are likely, with a good chance of power cuts. On the coast, the Met Office warns of large waves and beach material thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties.

Any further change, a red warning, a shift in the areas or times, shows on the live weather warnings tracker as soon as the Met Office publishes it, and on our Storm Austen page, which carries the live warnings, power cuts and flood alerts for the storm.

Why it was named before any amber warning

The Met Office names a storm when it has the potential to cause disruption or damage that could lead to an amber or red warning: medium or high impacts, not the colour of the warning in force today. That is the test Austen met on Tuesday morning. The statement is careful about the uncertainty: the track is still being determined, and the warnings may change. A name tells you a stronger warning is possible; it does not make one certain, and it says nothing about how bad the wind will be at your address. On Wednesday it did: an amber warning for Devon and Cornwall.

Local papers have been using the name since before it was given, and some are now quoting gust figures for individual towns. Those are their forecasts, not the Met Office warning, which gives a range for the whole area. The figures to act on are the ones in the warning: gusts of 50 to 60mph likely across the yellow area and 70mph or more possible on some coasts; in the amber area, a good chance of 60 to 70mph widely, perhaps around 80mph on exposed headlands.

Seven weeks in: an ordinary date for a first name

The 2026/27 names were announced on 1 September by the Met Office, Met Éireann and KNMI, with Austen first on the list, put forward by Met Éireann for its 90th anniversary. Seven weeks without a name felt slow after last season, when Amy was named on 1 October and the season went on to seven named storms that affected the UK. The storm centre's own season tables say today's date is unremarkable: in five of the last eleven seasons (2015/16, 2016/17, 2019/20, 2021/22 and 2022/23) no storm had been named by 20 October, and the midpoint of their first-naming dates, counting names from any service, is 18 October. The latest first storm in those eleven seasons was Otto, named by Denmark's DMI on 16 February 2023.

A first name on 20 October is not a forecast of the winter, and we make none. The Met Office's three-month outlook for October to December, issued on 28 September, gives double the normal chance of a wet period overall; the next is due on 26 October. It does not forecast storms, and it does not name them.

Power cuts: the live checks, and what the rules say

The yellow warning says power cuts may occur on Friday; the amber warning for Devon and Cornwall gives them a good chance. If yours goes off, call 105, free from any phone: it reaches your network operator, not your energy supplier. In the warning area that is National Grid Electricity Distribution across south Wales, most of the south-west and Herefordshire, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks in Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire and the Isle of Wight, and UK Power Networks in Sussex and Kent.

We read every network's live feed for each town in the warning area, with a postcode check on each page: Cardiff, Swansea, Bristol, Plymouth, Exeter, Bournemouth, Southampton and Brighton and Hove, among others, and the Storm Austen page brings them together.

In a storm, compensation follows separate rules. Networks group storms into categories by how many faults the weather causes. For a Category 1 storm the payment is £90 if your supply is not restored within 24 hours, then £45 for each further six hours, capped at £2,235; for a Category 2 storm the £90 starts at 48 hours. In Great Britain these payments are made automatically. Our compensation guide explains the rules and the calculator works out what a given cut is likely to be worth; who pays for storm damage covers fallen trees and roof tiles.

Before Thursday night

The Met Office's own advice starts outside: check for loose items and plan how to secure them. It names bins, garden furniture, trampolines, tents, sheds and fences. Do it on Thursday afternoon, in daylight. For a power cut, it suggests gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essentials in advance.

GOV.UK Prepare's power cut advice is to keep a battery or wind-up radio and spare batteries, because updates may be broadcast by radio and mobiles can stop if the local mast loses power. On Thursday evening, charge phones and power banks and put a torch where you can find it in the dark. Our power cut preparation guide has the full list, radios included.

If you are driving on Friday morning, check road conditions and train timetables first, and allow for fallen branches and spray on exposed roads. On the coast, the Met Office warns that large breaking waves can sweep people off their feet even from the shore: keep back from sea fronts and take care near cliffs. In an emergency on the coast, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

What happens next

The Met Office says its warnings are under constant review and could be updated as confidence increases. This page is updated when the warning changes or the Met Office adds to its forecast, and the time at the top changes with it. Our tracker reads the Met Office's warnings feed every refresh and its storm centre and news pages for namings, so the Storm Austen page and the weather warnings tracker move before this page does.