Britain will be hotter than Athens, Rome, California and Istanbul this week as December temperatures hit 16C – despite Storm Bram set to batter the UK. New heat maps by WXCharts.com for midday on Tuesday 9th December show Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Staffordshire, West Midlands, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire could all see 16C.
But compare that chart to BBC weather maps for Europe and North America for Tuesday and it reveals the seven counties will be hotter than some winter sun holiday hotspots. While Paris is 14C, Nice in the south of France is 15C, Rome in Italy is 15C as is Athens in sizzling Greece, while San Diego in California is 13C and Istanbul in Turkey is only set to peak at 10C.
It comes as Britain will be hit by Storm Bram – named by Met Eireann, Ireland’s equivalent of the Met Office – from Monday night with up to four inches of rain and 90mph gusts striking the country over the next few days.
Western parts of the UK will be worst affected with a series of Met Office amber and yellow warnings for wind and rain in place from 6pm Monday until Wednesday.
Flooding could deluge homes and properties in at-risk areas with a combined 75 flood alerts and 13 warnings active today across England and Wales.
The Met Office's second named storm of the 2025/26 season has given the moniker by Irish forecasting agency Met Eireann, where it will have its biggest impacts.
The first named storm in the Met Office's list this season was Amy on October 3 – before this was followed by Benjamin, named by Meteo France on October 22; and Claudia, named by Spain's Agencia Estatal de Meteorología on November 10.
This area of low pressure approaching from the North Atlantic – named Bram - brings heavy rain and strong winds from this evening.
The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for high winds from Dorset to Cornwall and up to North Wales, gusting at up to 70mph from 10pm Monday until 4pm Tuesday.
Transport networks could face disruption, with delays for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges, as well as buses and trains. Coastal roads and seafronts could be affected by spray and large waves, while power outages are also possible.
A yellow warning for rain has also been issued for a slightly larger area spreading east as far as Hampshire and Oxfordshire from 6pm Monday evening until 2pm Tuesday.
Forecasters warned of the potential for flooding of homes and businesses and warnings that some communities could be cut off, with up to 100mm (4in) set to fall.
The heaviest rain over Dartmoor and high ground in South Wales could amount to more than half the average monthly rainfall in December.
The amber warning is in place for North West Scotland from 4pm Tuesday until midnight, with the Met Office saying 90mph gusts are possible in some areas.
Another rain warning is in place for North West England from midnight Monday until 3pm Tuesday, for up to 80mm (3.1in) to fall; while a 70mph wind warning has been issued for North West Scotland from 3pm Tuesday until 10am on Wednesday - and another yellow for wind in central Scotland from 12pm Tuesday until 6am Wednesday.
Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Dan Holley said: "Whilst there is some uncertainty as to the exact track and intensity of the area of low pressure as it passes close to western Scotland later on Tuesday, many parts of the UK are likely to see spells of rain which, given saturated ground, could lead to flooding and delays to road and rail travel.
"In addition, strong winds are expected, particularly in northern and western areas. We are closely monitoring developments and may issue updates to the warnings as the situation evolves."
The Met Office forecast for the rest of December remains unsettled, with further periods of low pressure expected to bring more wet and windy weather.
So far we have only experienced one storm named by the UK Met Office and our storm naming group – Storm Amy.
That is why we go back to the 'B' name – Bram – on the UK, Ireland and Netherlands storm naming list. The next storm after Bram would be named Chandra if medium or high impacts are expected.
