A so-called wintry 'weather bomb' is set to hit the north of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales this evening.

But a second storm is predicted to hit more southerly areas of the country on Friday.

The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning for Friday, including the south east of england and London.

The weather warning is currently high impact but less likely.

The chief forecaster said: "An area of low pressure has the potential to develop in the mid-Atlantic and then run quickly east northeast across the northern half of the UK during the first half of Friday.

"To the south of this low pressure centre, gales, or severe gales are likely to develop, with gusts in excess of 50 mph quite widely in the warning area.

"Gusts of 60-70 mph may develop in exposure, especially along Irish Sea and English Channel coasts.

"A period of heavy rain may also make for tricky driving conditions at times, especially across south Wales and southern England.

"This is a complex development and details may yet change. Therefore this alert is likely to be updated in the coming days as confidence grows in track and timing of this system."