Britain woke on Friday to the first named storm of the season, as Storm Austen swept in from the Atlantic overnight bringing 90mph gusts to the far southwest and up to 80mm of rain to Scotland, roughly a month's worth of precipitation for Edinburgh in a single day.
The Environment Agency issued 19 flood alerts on Thursday, covering communities from the South Devon coast to the West Midlands, while the Met Office urged households in affected areas to prepare a flood plan and an emergency kit before the worst of the weather arrived.
Where the flood alerts are in force
According to the Mirror, the Environment Agency holds particular concern for the South Devon coast at Beesands, Torcross, Slapton and Dawlish, areas still scarred by past coastal flooding. The full list of English alerts also includes the west and east coasts of Dorset, Christchurch Harbour, the River Churnet and River Tean in Staffordshire, the Lower River Soar in Leicestershire, and the River Stour and Smestow Brook.
Scotland faces the heavier burden. Almost a dozen alerts are in force there, with Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh among the cities covered. Readers can check their own area through the official government flood warning service on GOV.UK, which publishes live alerts and river and rainfall levels.
How severe will Storm Austen be?
The warning architecture tells its own story. A rare Red Warning has been issued for the Channel Islands, where schools will be closed on Friday. An Amber Wind Warning covers Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly, Plymouth and parts of west Devon from 1am to 10am on Friday. Yellow wind and rain warnings extend across southern England, south Wales, the English Channel coast and much of Scotland.
The Met Office's own weather warnings page states that 20 to 40mm of rain is expected widely across southern and central Scotland, with 60 to 80mm possible in some locations, bringing flooding and travel disruption. Brit Brief reports that the Scottish rain warning runs for 18 hours from 6am on Friday until midnight.
Met Office Deputy Chief Forecaster Chris Bulmer said: