Those hoping for some festive frost to kick off the Christmas season are set to be disappointed as forecasters warn of 80mph winds and rain expected to batter the country.
Yellow weather warnings are in place from 3am until midnight on Friday, when wet and windy conditions are due to hit, causing potential disruption and flooding.
Met Office experts say the weather system – which has not been given an official storm ‘name’ – will move eastwards across the north, with gusts of 60-70mph expected across north Wales, northern England, northern Ireland and all of Scotland, rising to 80mph in exposed locations in northern Scotland.
Forecasters said they are still unsure where the worst conditions will hit and warned heavy rainfall may also create additional hazards, with localised flooding expected in some areas.
Southerners won’t escape grim conditions either, with heavy rain forecast across London and parts of the south east, south west and south Wales during Friday morning rush hour.
Richard Miles, of the Met Office, told HuffPost UK: “The Irish Met service may yet still name [the storm], because the very strongest winds will affect the very north of Scotland and north west Ireland.
“The wind warning only really applies to the northern half of the UK, but it will be windy and wet everywhere, with a yellow rain warning for Wales and the south west on Friday morning.
“There will be some clearer weather, particularly in Scotland, over the weekend with some bright sunny spells, but there will still be rain showers coming in from the west over Wales and England.
“It will still be pretty damp and blustery on Saturday and Sunday, with some wintry showers over the high ground.”
But commuters might need to dig out their gloves and scarves next week, as colder conditions move in.
“Colder air will be moving down across UK earlier next week, so you will notice it getting chillier,” Miles added.
“It won’t be exceptionally cold for the time of year, but it will be a bit of a contrast to the pretty mild conditions this week and you will notice a difference.”