UK weather: Storm Betty brings more August wind and rain

Gusts of 57mph were recorded at Mumbles Head, Swansea, on Saturday

Storm Betty has brought heavy downpours and high winds to much of the country as the UK's unpredictable August weather continues.

It is the second time since 2015 the UK has seen two named storms in August.

Windspeeds topping 60mph were recorded in Wales, and parts of Northern Ireland had more than their average rainfall for the month in a single night.

While conditions are expected to improve for most, this week's outlook is mixed, according to BBC Weather.

Betty is the second named storm to hit the UK this month, following Storm Antoni.

It is only the second time that two August storms have been significant enough to name since the system was adopted in 2015. The other year was August 2020 with Storm Ellen and Storm Francis.

Areas around the Irish Sea saw the strongest winds, with gusts between 50-60mph being recorded late on Friday and early on Saturday morning.

The strongest gusts (66mph) were recorded on high ground at Capel Curig in north-west Wales, while Aberdaron in the same region and Pembrey Sands in south Wales also saw speeds around the 60mph mark.

Cornwall also saw strong gusts, with speeds of around 55mph being recorded in some places,

Northern Ireland saw the worst of the rain, with many areas experiencing downpours of 25-35mm in a matter of hours.

Katesbridge, a small hamlet in County Down, was the wettest place in the UK, with 45mm of rain in 12 hours - which is over half the August average in just one night.

There has been travel disruption in Scotland, with some localised road flooding and rail cancellations.

Cars negotiated a flooded section of the A921 between Inverkeithing and Aberdour, as Scotland experienced heavy rain last December

Widows' Row in Newcastle with high tides following Storm Betty

George Goodfellow, senior meteorologist at BBC Weather, said Storm Betty is now moving away so conditions are improving.

The forecaster added: "The next few days will see low pressure close to the north of the UK, so whilst it isn't going to be as wet and windy as [Friday] night, we do still expect showers and perhaps some longer spells of rain across the north of the UK.

"There could also be some spells of very breezy, locally windy weather across Scotland and perhaps Northern Ireland and parts of northern England, but again we're not expecting winds as strong as last night.

"The south should remain relatively dry through the rest of the weekend and first half of next week.

"Temperatures are currently a little above average and are expected to remain so for the next few days too, although the next few nights should be a little cooler and fresher."

Storm Betty also brought some dramatic weather to Ireland, especially in coastal areas.

In Dungarvan, County Waterford, a boat broke free from its berth was thrown onto the harbour by powerful waves.