Storm Benjamin is set to batter the UK on Thursday with winds up to 75mph as the Met Office issued “danger to life” weather warnings. The forecaster has issued four yellow weather warnings across England and Wales with it predicting heavy downpours to accompany the powerful gusts.

London faces another week of downpours as the weather takes a sharp wintry turn. After several days of temperatures in the mid-teens, mercury in the capital is set to plunge to as low as 10C in the coming days. It comes ahead of the end of daylight savings on Sunday October 26, which will usher in darker and colder evenings.

London has been issued a yellow weather warning by the Met Office, with heavy rain and strong winds expected. A warning for heavy rain is in place from 00.00 on Thursday, October 23 until 9pm the same day. A separate warning for strong winds is in place from 9am Thursday, October 23, that will last until 11pm.

Storm Amy, the first named storm of the season, is currently developing in the Atlantic and will bring impactful wet and windy weather to much of Scotland, northwest England and northwest Wales, with the possibility of gusts in excess of 95mph, the Met Office said.

To the surprise of some, the latest weather maps show that parts of the UK will be blanketed in snow later this month, with chilly temperatures set to plunge to an icy 0 °C in several areas