The Met Office has issued a number of weather warnings for Friday, with strong winds along the coast and heavy rain inland.

Storm Claudia, previously named by the Spanish Meteorological Service, will bring strong and gusty easterly winds on Friday to west Wales between midday and midnight.

Gusts of 50 to 60 mph are expected during the afternoon and evening, perhaps up to 70 mph over some exposed hilltop and coastal spots. This may lead to some disruption to transport and power supplies, before winds moderate on Friday night.

The warning stretches from Anglesey all the way down Cardigan Bay to Aberaeron.

The Met Office says the winds bring a slight chance of some damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs and power cuts may occur.

An amber warning for heavy rain has been issued for central and eastern Wales on Friday, with forecasters saying the deluge expected to bring flooding.

The warning states: "Storm Claudia will bring rain that will become persistent and heavy during Friday.

"40-60 mm of rain is expected widely across this region with some places seeing around 80 mm; these higher accumulations more probable across the East Midlands, and higher ground in Wales and western England.

"Impacts may be exacerbated by strong easterly winds, as well as thunderstorms later Friday afternoon and evening."

Met Office Chief Meteorologist Matthew Lehnert said: “Storm Claudia will bring very heavy rainfall to a large swathe of central and southern England and Wales on Friday into Saturday.

“This rain will become slow moving, and some areas could see up to a month’s worth of rain in 24 hours.

“Much of this will fall on saturated ground, increasing the chances of flooding and contributing to the Amber warnings we have issued. Within the Amber warning areas, some could see in excess of 150mm accumulate during the event, with 60-80mm fairly widely. Gusty winds in the northwest of England and northwest Wales is an additional hazard, with 60-70mph gusts possible in exposed places within the warning area.”

In contrast to many named storms, Claudia won’t directly cross the UK, though it is responsible for the heavy rain on Friday and into Saturday. The system largely maintains its position to the west of the UK, though the associated fronts will weaken through Saturday.