Most of the UK will be hit by severe weather on Monday with 60-70mph winds
Winds of 80 miles an hour and waves of up to 50ft look set to hit the UK by Monday after Hurricane Katia changed course from the Caribbean with its eye set for Britain.
Forecasters are predicting fierce gusts of wind that could cause transport chaos and structural damage from late on Sunday night and into Monday with torrential rain battering much of the country.
Katia has so far avoided land and yesterday turned north east heading away from the U.S. coast and towards the UK.
The worst hit places are likely to be the islands off Scotland with parts of the coastline expected to be battered with torrential rain.
However, a severe weather warning has now been issued for Scotland, Ireland, Northern England, West Wales, and Cornwall and Devon.
Fierce south to south-westerly winds will hit western areas as early as Sunday but most of the UK will experience blustery conditions.
The Met Office said that many coastal areas will be hit by winds of 60 to 70mph while Meteogroup has suggested gusts of 80mph and waves peaking at between 30 and 50ft.
Hurricane Katia is expected to move east-northeast or north-eastwards on its journey from the Caribbean. Experts are split on whether the storm will pick up speed as it accelerates across the Atlantic towards the British Isles and the Faroe Islands from Monday onwards.
The Met Office said: 'The remains of Hurricane Katia are expected to come across the UK on Monday bringing a spell of very windy weather.
'There remains a fair amount of uncertainty about its track and intensity, and warning areas may be extended or upgraded to amber in subsequent issues, but the best estimate currently is that northern and western parts of the UK are most at risk from very strong winds.
'The public should be aware of the risk of disruption to transport and of the possibility of damage to trees and structures.'
Scroll down to see a video of the latest forecast for the weekend
Path of destruction: Hurricane Katia's path and wind speed is charted here showing it heading across the Atlantic to the UK
Eye of the storm: Hurricane Katia looks set to batter the UK with winds of 80mph and sea swells reaching 50ft
Even if the hurricane does change course as it makes away across the ocean it is predicted that there will be heavy rain across UK.
The last hurricane to hit the UK was Hurricane Charley which struck at the end of August 1986.
Charley started near southern Florida before gaining hurricane strength. At the height of the hurricane the eye of the storm was just 13 miles off the coast of North Carolina.
As it moved across the Atlantic It passed south of Ireland on August 25 bringing with it a deluge across all Western areas, Wales and into central England.
Collision course: Satellite images show Katia was heading towards America but then altered course for Bermuda where there are expected to be tropical storms before it makes its way across the Atlantic
Storm bound: Fierce winds and torrential rain will strike much of the UK including parts that are not in the path of Hurricane Katia
There were gusts of 65mph over Ireland with eight inches of rain falling on Kippure in Ireland in 24 hours - a daily record - with an eventual total of 11 inches.
Over Wales, Charley dumped four inches in a day over Dyfed, and in England there was severe flooding in Cumbria and Gloucestershire.
Wherever ex-hurricane Katia arrives, these may be the sorts of conditions to anticipate.
Forecasters say, however, that the path of the storm could change and even the smallest deviation could see it miss the UK completely or it could smash its way across the entire country.
It could even weaken rapidly, but even then it will still be windy with lots of rain.
Hurricane Charley: Harold's Cross in Dublin after torrential rain lashed Ireland in 1986 when the last storm hit the UK and Ireland
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