London bonfire weekend weather: Capital set for gales and rain... but displays expected to go ahead

Gales: London will be hit by 40mph winds over the bonfire weekend
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
Ramzy Alwakeel7 November 2015

Londoners are set to be battered by gales as the capital braces for a miserable bonfire weekend.

Bad weather has already forced a number of councils in the capital to cancel displays during the week, including those in Lambeth, Waltham Forest and Newham, though Saturday’s conditions are not expected to be sufficiently grim to see any more shows abandoned.

John Griffiths, a forecaster for MeteoGroup, said: “There is a big band of rain that’s pushing across the country north and east today. It will be quite heavy rain in place and there is a risk of thunder and fairly strong winds.

“There could be gusts of up to 55mph or 60mph in really exposed areas. Snowdon, parts of Cornwall and the west coast could see the highest gusts. It could gust up to 40mph in London which is quite strong for that area.

“The rain is going to clear away in the afternoon and once it does it will be a fairly dry night.”

Interactive map: Fireworks displays in London

Tomorrow should be drier with only “the odd spot or two of rain in the afternoon” for London, added Mr Griffiths.

But wind will hit speeds of 70mph in Scotland.

In September, the Met Office and Met Eireann announced a pilot project to come up with names for major storms.

The winning names included Abigail, Barney, Clodagh, Desmond, Eva and Frank.

A storm will only be named when it threatens to have a substantial impact in the UK or Ireland.

Additional reporting by Press Association

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