What time will Storm Eunice hit the UK and where will be affected?

As Storm Eunice moves in on the UK, the public is being warned to stay indoors in some areas as 100mph winds threaten to “sweep people and vehicles off streets”.

A rare red warning – the Met Office’s most severe alert – has been issued to cover London and the southeast of England from 10am, amid fears the storm could be among the UK’s worst in 30 years.

A separate red warning for wind is already in force for south Wales and the northern coast of southwest England from 7am, effecting Bristol, Cardiff and Swansea.

The extreme weather front is expected to bring blizzard conditions further north and follows just days after Storm Dudley brought spectacular winds and rain battering across Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland, knocking out power for tens of thousands of homes and bringing trains to a standstill.

UK prime minister Boris Johnson has said the army is on standby to assist with obstructions caused by fallen debris while widespread school closures have been announced in Wales and Devon.

Here’s an hour-by-hour look at Storm Eunice’s expected progress over the course of Friday.

9am

The sickle-shaped storm front is sitting directly over the British Isles as the day begins, with Northern Ireland, central Scotland and northern and eastern England getting the worst of it.

10am

That pattern continues with the western edge of the storm crossing Wales as its eastern fringe trails out over the North Sea, ensuring the Norfolk coast gets a dousing.

11am

The southeast of England gets a brief reprieve. The same cannot be said for the other home nations.

12pm

More rain continues to drift across the centre of England, with the north particularly hard hit.

1pm

The storm begins to fragment as more showers arrive over the Republic of Ireland from the North Atlantic.

3pm

Ireland, Wales and south western England hit by scattered rain as Northern Ireland, Scotland and northern England continue to bear the brunt.

6pm

The weather front finally shows signs of breaking up over Scotland as Wales, the Midlands and East Anglia are all largely spared.

9pm

As night falls, the front continues to break apart.

12am

Into the weekend, the picture begins to clear... until a fresh front arrives from the southwest in the early hours of Saturday morning.