As Storm Ashley prepares to batter UK, here's what to expect in Greater Manchester

Storm Ashley is set to batter the UK with winds reaching up to 80mph this weekend.

The Met Office has has issued a yellow warning for parts of the North West of England as well as Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of Wales. This means that there could be some damage to buildings, power cuts may occur and some roads and bridges may close.

There is also an amber warning in place for north-western parts of Scotland. The storm is set to hit the UK tomorrow (October 20). The wind warning does not cover Greater Manchester. However, strong winds are still expected to affect the region.

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Wind gusts of up to 48mph are forecast all over Greater Manchester on Sunday morning, peaking at around 8am. Heavy rain is set to fall on the region until lunchtime when the outlook changes to 'sunny intervals' - although strong winds are set to continue all day.

Gusts of wind of more than 30mph are forecast to continue in the night and into Monday morning. They are expected to peak at 33mph in Manchester on Monday afternoon when the weather is expected to be sunny, changing to partly cloudy by the evening.

A yellow wind warning will remain in place for the North of Scotland on Monday before Storm Ashley moves away. The amber warning for wind in Scotland is only in place on Sunday with all weather warnings lifted by the Met Office by Tuesday (October 22).

Storm Ashley is the first named storm of the 2024/25 season in the UK. The RAC has advised motorists to "keep a good grip of the steering wheel and allow plenty of space between vehicles."

"We also strongly advise avoiding exposed routes, especially those close to coasts that are likely to see the biggest effects from the gusts and where particularly high spring tides could lead to some roads becoming flooded."