Parts of the UK are expected to be hit by gales of up to 60mph and heavy rain amid days of unsettled weather, forecasters have said.

A yellow weather warning for wind has been issued by the Met Office for the west coast and Northern Ireland for 12 hours from 3pm on Tuesday.

It said “strong winds are forecast” through Wednesday.

A second warning is in place for southwest England and south Wales throughout Wednesday.

Gales up to 60mph and heavy rain expected in parts of the UK

Many yellow weather warnings are issued when it is “likely the weather will cause some low level impacts, including some disruption to travel in a few places”, the Met Office website says.

The forecaster said: “After a brief lull in winds through the early hours of Wednesday, west or north-west winds are expected to increase once more during Wednesday morning, then remain strong for much of the day.

“Gusts of 40-50mph are expected widely within the warning area, but some coastal areas, especially in parts of south-west Wales and Cornwall, could see gusts above 60mph at times.

“Outbreaks of heavy rain or showers will accompany the strong winds.”

What different Met Office weather warnings mean

Temperatures are expected to range from 11C in northern Scotland to 16C in the south of England at this time.

Going into Tuesday, eight flood alerts have been issued by the Environment Agency for scatterfed areas in southern England where flooding is “possible”.

Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Steven Keates urged people to prepare for “a distinct possibility of some disruptive wind for parts of the UK”, especially in southern and western areas.

He also said there is “potential for heavy rainfall and even some snow, though the latter probably confined to high ground in the north”.

Mr Keates added:  “Although subject to a large degree of uncertainty, gusts of wind could be in excess of 60mph in some exposed upland or coastal regions, with around 35mm (1.4in) to 50mm (2in) of rain possible for some areas.”

Despite the recent warmth, much of the country will experience cooler temperatures over the coming few days, before temperatures recover towards next weekend, according to forecasters.

Temperatures dropped on Monday after a warm Easter Bank Holiday which saw the UK hotter than Rome.

In Chertsey, Surrey, a high of 17.3C was recorded which is only slightly cooler than the hottest temperature of the year of 17.8C which was recorded in Santon Downham, Suffolk, on March 30.