The first named storm of the season, Austen, is expected to bring gusts of up to 60mph to southern areas of the UK at the end of the week, forecasters said.
An area of low pressure in the Atlantic would deepen rapidly as it was invigorated by the jet stream, the forecaster added.
A storm in the UK is named when it has the potential to cause disruption or damage that could result in an amber or red warning. The Met Office issued a yellow severe weather warning for strong wind from midnight to midday on Friday which covers most of south-west England and southern Wales. Parts of the south coast as far east as Brighton were also expected to be affected.
The Met Office deputy chief forecaster, Tom Crabtree, said: "While the exact track and position of Storm Austen is still being determined, what's clear is that we have an impactful period of weather on the way and the potential for disruption in places, which has resulted in the system being named.
"Peak gusts in excess of 70mph are possible on the most exposed coastal areas, while 50-60mph are likely more widely within the warning area. Weather warnings are under constant review and could be updated as confidence increases, so it's important to stay up to date with the forecast in the coming days."
Storm Austen would move from west to east through Friday, with winds diminishing later in the day. About 20mm-30mm of rain was expected in many places.
The storm would move toward the North Sea late on Friday, but more wind and rain was probable throughout the weekend and into the start of next week, with the heaviest rain expected to be in western areas, the forecaster said.
The Met Office storm year runs from September to August, with each 12-month period having its own alphabetical list of names that are used to label successive storms. This year's list begins with Austen and continues with Boelo, Chloe, Dano and Evelyn, ending at W with Wende.
The letters Q, U, X, Y and Z are not used, in line with international storm naming conventions. The names are decided by the Met Office in conjunction with Met Éireann and KNMI, which are the Irish and Dutch national meteorological services respectively.
Austen was selected by Met Éireann in honour of Austen Nagle, the first director of the service. Other names are chosen from suggestions submitted by the public, with Chloe having been nominated more than 130 times.
The Met Office began naming storms in 2015, since when the furthest letter of the alphabet reached within any 12-month period was L, in 2023-24. Only four storms were named in 2025-26: Amy, Bram, Chandra and Dave.
Holly Clements, the Met Office head of warnings and guidance, said: "For more than a decade, storm naming has helped us communicate the risks from severe weather more effectively.
"A named storm provides a clear focus for forecasts and warnings, helping more people understand the potential impacts and take action to protect themselves, their families and their property."