Storm Ali amber alert: Warnings of wet, windy and wild weather on Wednesday

WEATHER warnings are in place across the country as remnants of Storm Helene sweep out – but the blustery conditions aren’t over yet.

The Met Office says that very strong winds and heavy rain will hit on Wednesday as a new weather system, Storm Ali, arrives.

Very strong winds and heavy rain will reach Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland during Wednesday. @MetEireann and @metoffice have just jointly named this system "Storm Ali". Warnings will be updated later this morning. #StormAli pic.twitter.com/UIBCl5vmcw

— Met Office (@metoffice) September 18, 2018

A yellow weather warning is in place across the whole of Scotland and parts of northern England and Northern Ireland, with gusts of around 50-60 mph are expected.

An amber alert, meanwhile, is in place across the southern half of Scotland, including the central belt, Fife and Argyll.

Winds here could reach up to 75mph.

They’ll be accompanied by torrential downpours, giving the midweek a rather miserable outlook.

With memories of our glorious summer heatwave now firmly in the past, these storms are set to be the norm for the next few months as we head into autumn and winter.

It’s now Atlantic storm season, which will last until May, and long-range forecasts have predicted that the UK will be hit by between 17 and 23 storms during that time.

Ali is the first of a new list of storm names for 2018/19, announced by the Met Office and Irish counterparts Met Eireann last week.

Bronagh, Callum and Deirdre will follow, while Saoirse, Tristan, Violet and Wyn could also batter the UK and Ireland.

It is the fourth year that the Met Office and Met Eireann have run the Name our Storms scheme, which aims to raise awareness of severe weather before it hits.

The season’s names have been compiled from a list of submissions by the public, choosing some of the most popular names and also selecting those which reflect the nations, culture and diversity of the UK and Ireland.