The Met Office said delays to road, rail air and ferry transport were "likely" on Wednesday, particularly in and around coastal areas. There is a risk too of snow affecting some areas of Scotland. Nine yellow warnings have been issued by the Met Office for Wednesday, and a further two for Thursday.
Warnings for wind apply to eastern areas of England, London, the south east, south coast and south west, Wales, north west England, Yorkshire and the Humber, as well as much of Scotland.
Northern Ireland is covered by a specific warning for rain and wind, while there are standalone warnings of rain for southwestern areas of Scotland, Strathclyde and the Scottish Borders, Wales, and central and northern England.
Met Office chief meteorologist Frank Saunders said: “Storm Gerrit will run towards western UK on Wednesday and bring with it potential impacts for much of the UK. Winds across southern coastal areas of England will be strong, possibly peaking around 70mph on exposed coastlines, but more widely around 50-60mph within the warning area."
Saunders said rain and snow could affect the Pennines and southern Scotland, with 10-20cm possible in the highest areas. "This combining with very strong winds [could] lead to some difficult travel conditions. At lower levels, a combination of heavy rain and very strong winds will dominate."
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Storm Gerrit is the seventh named storm of the year. It follows the strong winds brought by Danish named storm, Storm Pia, that disrupted pre-Christmas travel and last-ditch strike action by Eurotunnel workers.
No specific warnings had been issued by any major airports or transport hubs by 9am on Wednesday in response to Storm Gerrit.
