Weather map reveals Storm Chandra's route as UK faces heavy rain and 80mph gales

27 January 2026, 13:27

Brits are bracing for extreme weather conditions as Storm Chandra causes chaos across the UK – here's when and where it will hit.

Heavy rain, strong gales and even snow have been forecast across much of the UK today as Storm Chandra sweeps across the country causing widespread damage.

Battering most areas with torrential downpours and winds of up to 75mph, Brits are bracing for extreme weather conditions as they prepare for power cuts, school closures and major travel disruption.

Amber and yellow alerts have been put in place by the Met Office today after forecasters predicted up to 80mm of rain would fall.

• Listen to Heart on Global Player, the official Heart app

Flood warnings have also been issued, along with weather alerts for rain and snow – so where exactly is Storm Chandra heading and when will it hit the UK?

Where and when will Storm Chandra hit the UK?

An amber alert for 'very strong winds' has been put in place by the Met Office today, covering parts of Ireland.

The 'danger to life' warning blankets "eastern and northern parts of Northern Ireland with a few coastal locations", according to experts, with "gusts of 75 mph" and heavy rain expected.

Yellow alerts for rain and wind cover the entirety of Ireland too, while warnings have been issued for rain and snow across much of Scotland and northern England, down to Manchester.

Another yellow warning stretches across parts of the Isles of Scilly and Pembrokeshire, with winds of up to 80mph predicted.

The yellow alerts continue into Wednesday, with the Met Office issuing warnings for ice across Northern Ireland and most of the UK, from Glasgow all the way down to Kent.

Further rain is expected in Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset into Thursday and may lead to flooding and travel disruption across most of south west England.

• Read more: Brits whose wheelie bins blow over in storm wind could face a fine

The Met Office said of Storm Chandra: "Easterly winds will increase early on Tuesday morning bringing gusts of 60-70 mph to eastern and northern parts of Northern Ireland with a few coastal locations seeing gusts of 75 mph. Heavy rain will be an additional hazard.

"Winds may ease a little early in the afternoon, before increasing to similar speeds once more from a south-easterly direction late afternoon and early evening."

Chief forecaster Paul Gundersen told Brits the UK was experiencing a "complex spell of weather" following a deep area of low pressure moving in.

"Initially strong winds will impact the Isles of Scilly, western Cornwall and southwest Wales which are still vulnerable after Storm Goretti, gusts of 70 to 80mph are possible here," he said.

"Heavy rain is an additional hazard as it falls on saturated ground in Dorset and southern parts of Devon, Somerset and Cornwall.

"As Chandra interacts with colder air further north snow becomes a hazard, with 10 to 20cm of snow possibly accumulating over higher ground in the Pennines, southern Scotland and the Highlands."

• Read more: All the UK storm names of 2024 revealed