Storm Hannah to bring winds of up to 80mph and risk of travel disruption

Storm Hannah is set to bring strong winds and potential travel disruption to parts of the UK and Ireland, weather forecasters have warned.

A yellow weather warning - the lowest alert level - has been issued for south Wales and parts of south and southwest England from Friday night to Saturday afternoon.

Gusts of up to 70mph and temperatures "in the single figures" have been predicted, the Met Office said - a far cry from the hot and sunny conditions over the Easter weekend.

Ireland's Met Eireann named the weather system as Storm Hannah and forecast very windy or stormy conditions in Munster and Connacht, especially in coastal areas.

Strong, gusty northwest winds of up to 80mph across Ireland will gradually ease on Saturday morning, it said.

Met Eireann issued an orange wind warning for Clare, Cork, Kerry and Limerick for Friday night and early Saturday morning.

A lesser yellow warning was issued for Connacht, Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Wexford, Wicklow, Offaly, Donegal, Tipperary and Waterford.

The UK Met Office said Storm Hannah will affect Ireland most significantly.

Spokesman Grahame Madge said from early Friday winds will start to strengthen, and by the evening rush hour Storm Hannah would start to hit western Wales and parts of Scotland.

He said that going through the evening, the low pressure system would cross into parts of Ireland, affecting western parts.

Mr Madge said the UK Met Office itself would probably not have gone as far as naming the system, which has come from the Atlantic.

The bad weather is expected to have ended by the start of Sunday's London Marathon.

Storm Gareth, the last named weather system, caused travel disruption in several parts of the UK last month.