By Bill Bowkett

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Gusts of up to 40mph are set to sweep London going into this weekend, as the Met Office warns of “danger to life” ahead of Storm Amy.

Londoners have been warned of strong winds and drizzly rain on Friday night and Saturday afternoon, which coincides with the arrival of the first named storm of the season.

But the weather is set to become drier and brighter from Sunday, with highs of 19C (66F) forecast for the start of next week.

On Thursday, Storm Amy was upgraded from a yellow to an amber warning for large parts of Scotland, with yellow alerts in place for large parts of north west England and Wales.

Those living in more exposed areas could experience winds in excess of 95mph and two inches of rain, forecasters predict.

Experts also warned of possible power cuts, property damage and hazardous driving conditions, leading to travel delays and increased pressure on emergency services.

Urging the public to plan their journeys ahead of time, the AA’s Shaun Jones said: “High winds can make handling a vehicle more difficult, especially for high-sided vehicles, and surface water can hide potholes or cause aquaplaning.”

Neil Armstrong, chief forecaster for the Met Office said: “Warnings will continue to be tweaked and amended in the coming days as confidence increases.”

Scientists say that Storm Amy had developed as a result of Hurricane Humberto, which rattled the Caribbean and east coast of the United States.

Dr Simon Lee, a lecturer in atmospheric science at the University of St Andrews, told the BBC: “You can think of Amy a little bit like a surfer, which catches the jet stream — that band of fast moving air high up in the atmosphere that influences our weather.

“Amy catches this wave to perfection and it undergoes a process called explosive cyclogenesis on Friday, which just means it rapidly intensifies.”