Weather warning issued for this weekend as rain and wind set to return

Rain returns to the UK this weekend as the weather looks set to become much more unsettled.

All parts of the country will see heavy downpours and strengthening winds as an area of low pressure moves in from the Atlantic.

Eastern parts of Northern Ireland are covered by a Met Office yellow warning for rain, valid throughout Sunday morning.

It will mark a big change from the quiet and often gloomy conditions that have lingered for many days.

For over a week the jet stream has been running to the north of the UK diverting all of the rain-bearing weather systems away.

That has allowed high pressure to sit overhead keeping things largely dry but trapping large amounts of moisture in the form of a layer of cloud.

Some places in Northern Ireland had no measurable sunshine in over a week.

However the jet stream is now moving southwards again which will send low pressure across our shores.

This will bring stronger winds which should help to break up some of the cloud but it will also deliver outbreaks of rain.

On Saturday, most places will remain dry with large areas of cloud and some sunny spells - but winds will strengthen and rain will eventually arrive in south-west England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

That band of rain will push eastwards and northwards during Saturday night and Sunday meaning all parts will see some wet weather.

The downpours are likely to linger for several hours in eastern parts of Northern Ireland prompting the Met Office to issue a yellow weather warning.

Across the warning area 20-30mm (0.8-1.2in) of rain is expected to fall widely with the chance of up to 100mm (4in) over the Mourne Mountains.

This could bring travel disruption and poor driving conditions as well as the risk of localised flooding.

Wind gusts of 40-50mph (64-80km/h) are also likely around coasts in the west of the UK.

Once this unsettled weather has arrived it looks unlikely to relinquish its grip quickly.

Various low pressure systems will push across the UK during the coming week bringing showers or longer spells of rain, possibly accompanied by thunder.

Depending on the exact track of these lows, swathes of strong winds are also possible with the risk of gales, especially during the second half of the week.

Storm Amy, the first named storm of the season, swept across the country early in October and it is not out of the question that our next storm - Storm Bram - could arrive before the month is over.

It is worth staying in touch with the forecast on the BBC Weather app.

A spell of northerly winds looks likely to set in at the end of this week.

It is unclear how long this will last but it will bring lower temperatures and the chance of some wintry showers over high ground in the north of the UK.

However, contrary to some recent media headlines, there are currently no signs of widespread significant snow in the short or long-term forecast.

You can keep abreast of any changes in the prospects for the rest of autumn by checking our monthly outlook.