Storm Bram LIVE: Met Office urgent 'danger to life' warnings for 16 UK regions

Strong winds and heavy rain are set for northwest Scotland, Wales, southwest England, Northern Ireland and northern England as well as southern and eastern Scotland

Storm Bram is set to bring travel and flooding chaos to the UK in hours with the Met Office issuing urgent amber "danger to life" weather warnings affecting 17 regions.

From midnight to 10am on Tuesday Cornwall and Devon face severe disruption with the forecaster warning "homes and businesses are likely to be flooded". The same applies to areas in South Wales with 11 areas in the firing line. These are Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Carmarthenshire, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea and Torfaen.

In northwest Scotland, brutal winds of up to 90mph are forecast for Na h-Eileanan Siar, Highland and Argyll and Bute between 4pm on Tuesday and just before midnight.

00:56Peter Hennessy

The six things you can do to stay safe amid Storm Bram

With heavy rain and gale force winds, it can be dangerous when you need to head out and about to work or on the school run.

But the Met Office has a clear set of rules you can follow to ensure you stay as safe as you can in extreme weather. You can read more here.

00:37Peter Hennessy

Wind gusts of more than 90mph possible

Met Office Chief Forecaster, Dan Suri, said: “Storm Bram will bring a very wet and windy spell of weather, with very strong winds and further heavy rain which falling over saturated ground, could cause flooding impacts. Within the Amber wind warning over northwest Scotland, gusts of up to 90 mph could be recorded.

"More widely, gusts of 50-60 mph, and perhaps 70 mph in a few spots, are expected across Wales, southwest England and Northern Ireland.

“Rain is an additional impact from Storm Bram, with the possibility of 100mm over higher ground in the south of Wales and parts of Devon. This could require updates to warnings, so it’s important to stay up to date with the forecast in your area, as well as any flood warnings from your local environment agency.”

23:37Peter Hennessy

School closures update for Ireland

Ireland is set to be battered by heavy rain overnight, with Met Eireann meteorologist Matthew Martin saying: "It's looking increasing likely that Ireland will experience some very inclement weather from Monday night and through Tuesday. A low-pressure system in the Atlantic is going to deepen fairly rapidly as it approaches the southwest coast on Monday night."

When it comes to potential school closures, Citizen's Advice has stated that individual schools make the final call on closures during severe weather. A post on their website reads: "School management in each school decides whether the school should close during extreme weather events. This is because they are best placed to assess how local weather conditions will affect their school's ability to open.

"Schools will tell parents if they decide to close. This will usually be by text or email so keep an eye on your phone and emails for updates. You can also check your school's website as they may post a notice there. Schools can use discretionary days where they planned to close to make up for any time lost due to unexpected school closures. This can include reducing mid-term breaks, for example."

23:13Husna Anjum

Met Office issues amber warning for Highlands & Eilean Siar and Strathclyde

The Met office has issued amber "danger to life" warnings for the following areas in Northwest Scotland from 4pm on Tuesday until just before midnight.

Highlands & Eilean Siar:

Na h-Eileanan Siar

Highland

Strathclyde:

Argyll and Bute

The warning says: "A short spell of very strong southwesterly winds are expected to develop as Storm Bram passes close to northwest Scotland on Tuesday evening and night. Gusts of 70-80 mph are expected for a few hours with a chance that a few places may experience gusts of up to 90 mph. Heavy rain will accompany these strong winds and may exacerbate impacts."

22:46Husna Anjum

MET office Chief Forecaster warns of 'very wet and windy weather'

Met Office Chief Forecaster, Dan Suri, said: "Storm Bram will bring a very wet and windy spell of weather, with very strong winds and further heavy rain which falling over saturated ground, could cause flooding impacts. Within the Amber wind warning over northwest Scotland, gusts of up to 90 mph could be recorded.

"More widely, gusts of 50-60 mph, and perhaps 70 mph in a few spots, are expected across Wales, southwest England and Northern Ireland. Rain is an additional impact from Storm Bram, with the possibility of 100mm over higher ground in the south of Wales and parts of Devon.

"This could require updates to warnings, so it’s important to stay up to date with the forecast in your area, as well as any flood warnings from your local environment agency."

22:43Husna Anjum

How to protect yourself during Storm Bram

MET office gave the following safety guidelines:

• Check for loose items outside your home and plan how to secure them, this includes bins, garden furniture, trampolines, tents, sheds, and fences
• Check bus and train timetables, amending travel plans if necessary. If driving, check road conditions and ensure you have essentials in your car such as warm clothing, food, water, a blanket, a torch, an in-car phone charger
• Handle power cuts by gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items
• Anyone living on the coast, be aware of large waves, according to MET offive even from the shore large breaking waves can sweep anyone off their feet and out to sea.
• Be careful when walking near cliffs, know your route and keep dogs on a lead. In an emergency, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard
• Weather warnings can change quickly! So stay up to date with MET office warnings or the weather forecast in your area

22:32Husna Anjum

Storm Bram - what to expect

According to MET Office Storm Bram is predicted to bring strong and disruptive winds to northwest Scotland on Tuesday night. Locals should expect the following:

• Potentially large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties
• Roads, bridges and railway lines might close, bringing delays and cancellations to bus, train, ferry services and flights
• Power cuts could occur and affect services such as mobile phone coverage
• Damage to buildings and homes is possible, including roofs blown off and power lines brought down
• Flying debris could be dangerous to people's lives