Greater Manchester weather forecast as Hurricane Ian set to bring heavy downpours

Umbrellas and parkas at the ready... as heavy downpours are forecast for Greater Manchester.

The fallout from Hurricane Ian on Florida's southwest coast will be felt tomorrow as it sweeps an 'area of low pressure' across the UK, bringing wetter and windier weather with it. While today (Thursday) is set to be mostly dry in our region, heavy rain is forecast for most of tomorrow afternoon and into Saturday morning.

According to the Met Office, today will be cloudy with some sunny spells in Greater Manchester. While Friday morning will be mostly dry, the heavy rain is set to hit from around lunchtime.

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Downpours are forecast until at least 7pm, with non-stop rainfall predicted in our region on Friday afternoon. Forecasters predict Friday evening to be drier, though more showers are set to fall in the early hours of Saturday and into the late morning.

The rain should have cleared by Saturday afternoon, according to the Met Office, and the weather should stay mostly dry through to Sunday. Much of the UK will be affected by the fallout from Hurricane Ian tomorrow, with strong winds also forecast.

Deputy Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office, Chris Almond, said: "This will bring a much wetter and windier spell than we’ve seen so far this autumn, but nothing that is unusual for the time of year. The fast-moving system will bring strong gale force winds, locally in excess of 60mph, and heavy rain into the northwest before pushing quickly southeast through the day.

"We could see some minor impacts, such as surface water flooding or minor wind damage, as well as some short-lived impacts on ferry crossings, especially in exposed areas of western Scotland