Beware of the storm: 80mph winds and torrential 'likely' to strike half of UK - Metro

Heavy downpours are on the way (Picture: PA)

Britain has been told to brace itself for torrential rain and gales of up to 80mph with the 'biggest storm in years' expected to strike at the beginning of the half-term getaway.

Only the south of England had been warned to batten down the hatches on Sunday night – with the St Jude Day storm then predicted to rage on for 24 hours – but this has now been extended to other areas.

An amber alert has now also been issued to the Midlands, the East of England, London and the south-east, and Wales.

The upgrade from a yellow warning to an amber one means that many homes around the UK now need to be 'be prepared.'

'We have been tracking the probable course of the storm, and we are tracking it further north than we had thought earlier,' said Met Office spokeswoman Nicola Maxey.

'We have also revised the speed for gusts of wind up to 70 to 80mph inland, with the possibility of speeds in excess of 80mph in exposed coastal areas.'

'We are expecting the storm to be in the early hours, and it is not yet clear how long it will take to cross the country.'

Fears are growing that up to 30mm of rain could cause flooding, during which gale-force gusts could also bring down trees, damage homes and buildings, and cut off power.

Umbrellas are advised this weekend (Picture: Lewis Whyld/PA)

Other parts of the country are unlikely to escape unscathed with the Environment Agency warning of flooding in the the north.

Eddy Carroll, chief forecaster at the Met Office, said: 'This storm doesn't exist at the moment, but our forecasts models predict it is likely to develop in the west Atlantic on Saturday.

'Then it's likely to rapidly intensify just west of the UK late on Sunday before tracking across England and Wales early on Monday.

'With that in mind, people should keep up to date with and act on the advice in our forecasts and warnings as the situation develops.'

Britain is bracing itself for torrential rain (Picture: Steve Parsons/PA)

The storm comes as more than 9million motorists are predicted to take to the roads for the half-term break.

Matt Dallaway, of the RAC, said: 'Motorists are used to packing up the boot of the car and heading off no matter what the weather is doing. We are seeing such larger traffic volumes this half term as it's the last one before the festive period.

'With some severe weather predicted, we recommend drivers plan their journeys carefully and allow plenty of time to get to their destination.'