Brighton is set to be hit by 50mph winds during an 18-hour weather warning cast over the city.

The Met Office has put the yellow alert in place from 9pm on Wednesday to 3pm on Thursday, with strong winds expected to whip along the Sussex coast.

The weather warning covers all of England and Wales.

In Brighton today, wind gust speeds are not expected to rise above 12mph.

However, the Met Office predicts these will escalate dramatically over the coming days, reaching a peak of 50mph in the early hours of Thursday.

Heavy rain is also expected throughout the second half of Wednesday, continuing into Thursday morning.

A Met Office spokesman said: "Strong winds accompanied by heavy and blustery showers may bring some disruption to England and Wales."

He warned people in affected areas to expect:

  • Delays for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges
  • Some short-term loss of power and other services
  • Some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport
  • Probably some bus and train services affected, with some journeys taking longer

Though the Met Office's yellow alert for wind ends on 3pm, wind gust speeds are set to stay relatively high - above 30mph - until Sunday.

Conditions are expected to remain mild, with temperatures staying between 5C and 10C from Wednesday until the end of the week.