Storm Francis: Hour-by-hour forecast as weather warnings issued for Leeds

The Met Office has never had two named storms in August since the process started in 2015, but Francis comes on the back of Ellen which struck last week and caused power outages across the country.

In Leeds, a yellow rain warning has been in place since midnight, lasting until 9am on Wednesday.

A wind warning will be in place from 9am today (Tuesday) for 24 hours.

Wind gusts in Leeds could reach up to 40mph.

Storm Francis will bring some very strong winds leading to disruption to travel and power supplies along with potential damage to trees, according to the Met Office.

Forecasters said the winds were “unusual” for August, but would have to go some way to beat the current record wind gust speed of 87mph recorded at The Needles on the Isle of Wight in August 1996.

Likewise, the wettest August on record in the UK was in 1912 when 167.3 mm was recorded across the country as a whole.

Between August 1 and 22, the UK as a whole had seen some 72.7mm of rainfall – around four-fifths of the average rainfall for the month.

No new storm is currently forecast this month, meaning the next storm will begin with A rather than G, as the storm-naming calendar resets on September 1.

Here is an hour-by-hour forecast for Leeds:

9am: Heavy rain

10am: Heavy rain

11am: Heavy rain

noon: Light rain

1pm: Light shower

2pm: Heavy shower

3pm: Thunderstorm

4pm: Heavy shower

5pm: Light shower

6pm: Light rain

7pm: Light rain

8pm: Light rain

9pm: Light rain

10pm: Heavy rain

11pm: Heavy rain

What to expect during a wind warning, according to the Met Office:

- Injuries and danger to life from flying debris are possible

- Some damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs, could happen

- Road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected, with longer journey times and cancellations possible

- Some roads and bridges may close

- Power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage

- Injuries and danger to life could occur from large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties

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