The Met Office says wind and rain warnings associated with Ciaran are in force from Wednesday night onwards into Friday, with the storm due to cross southern UK on Thursday.

Ahead of its arrival, parts of Northern Ireland have already been flooded due to heavy rainfall and people have been warned not to travel.

Met Office yellow weather warnings for rain are in place in the country until 9am on Wednesday.

The agency has warned of between 25mm and 60mm of rain in places, and up to 100mm is possible over higher ground.

Check the latest five-day forecast where you are

Met Office yellow weather warnings for rain and wind are in place between Wednesday and Friday across parts of England, Scotland and Wales.

Amber weather warnings come into force for Pembrokeshire, Cornwall and Devon between 3am and 1pm on Thursday, and the Channel coast from Dorset to Kent between 6am and 8pm.

Forecasters said strong gusts could disrupt travel and cause structural damage - of 70 to 80mph, perhaps exceeding 85 mph - and warned that flying debris could pose a danger to life.

Trains and planes could be delayed, while roads and bridges face potential closure.

Read more:
Why Storm Ciaran will be so bad

Flooding in Northern Ireland

There were reports of flooding in Newry in County Down on Monday after the city's canal burst its banks, while in Dromantine around 100 sheep were rescued after becoming stranded in a flooded field.

Newry resident Dessie Heatley described the scenes as a "repeat of what happened here around 35 years ago".

"We were up and down here in boats," he said. "It's pretty bad, I'm sure all the shopkeepers are raging, we'd no warning or nothing."

Police have advised people to avoid Newry city.

Just across the Irish border in County Louth, a bridge close to Riverstown partially collapsed amid rising waters on the Cooley Peninsula, and there was flooding in County Wexford.

Met Eireann - the Irish National Meteorological Service - said spot flooding was expected in Northern Ireland throughout the morning before clearing slowly northwards.

Earlier, an amber warning for heavy rain was in place covering counties Antrim, Down and Armagh, and was lifted at 9am on Tuesday, with police warning people not to travel.

Downpours expected in parts of England and Wales

Storm Ciaran is set to bring strong winds and heavy downpours to southern parts of England and Wales - with "unsettled" conditions forecast for much of the UK.

Rainfall of 20mm to 25mm is expected across southern and western areas, but potentially more over higher ground, the Met Office said.

The forecaster warned already flood-affected areas following Storm Babet could get worse.

Met Office meteorologist Clare Nasir said Storm Ciaran was "likely to be a notch down" in intensity from Storm Babet, but flooding could still occur because the ground is "so laden with water" and river levels "are at their highest".

She told Sky News the key features of Storm Ciaran would be "wind damage" and a "lot of rain", adding the rain would "slowly move northwards".

Ms Nasir said the storm would impact southern areas of the UK on Wednesday evening as it approaches, as well as on Thursday morning during rush hour, before it tracks northwards.

"We could see some coastal flooding because the winds will be so strong, particularly initially across more southern areas," she said.

"It's not a fast-moving system, so it's going to be with us for at least two-and-a-half, if not three, days and most places will be impacted in some shape or form by this storm."

Her colleague Marco Petagna added: "There are possible gusts of 80mph to 90mph in some exposed southern areas. It's probably quite a nasty storm this one."

Warnings amid flood risk for Wales

Heavy rain could lead to surface water issues, and cause already swollen rivers to rise quickly as rainfall hits saturated ground, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has warned and as it urged people to "be aware and prepared".

Strong winds are expected along the South and West Wales coastlines where large waves could also lead to some coastal flooding.

Katie Davies, NRW's duty tactical manager, said: "Our teams are doing all they can to reduce the risk for communities, but if there is flooding we want to make sure people are doing all they can to keep themselves safe too.

"We urge people to keep away from swollen rivers, and not to drive or to walk through floodwater - it is often deeper than it looks and contain hidden hazards."

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The Environment Agency has issued 25 flood warnings and more than 100 flood alerts.

Kate Marks, flood duty manager at the Environment Agency, said: "We urge people to stay safe on the coast and to remember to take extreme care on coastal paths and promenades.

"Flooding of low-lying coastal roads is also possible and people must avoid driving through floodwater, as just 30cm of flowing water is enough to move your car."

Meanwhile, the Thames Barrier in London closed from around 10.40am on Tuesday because "a high tide" forecast "combined with high river flows".

It will be the flooding defence system's 209th closure, and the first of this flood season.

Is Storm Ciaran affecting an area near you?

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