Storm Barbara: Are Shropshire and Mid Wales in for a wet and windy Christmas?
Shropshire and Mid Wales could be battered by high winds and heavy rain over the Christmas period, forecasters have warned.
The Met Office said there were signs that winds and wet weather predicted to sweep in from the Atlantic at the weekend could be strong enough to become the second named storm of the season.
Forecasters are tracking the weather system a month after Storm Angus brought 80mph winds, heavy rain and flooding. Barbara is next on the list of storm names allocated by the Met Office.
A Met Office spokesman said: "There are some signals that it could turn wet and windy through the Christmas period. We could see some strong winds and wet weather."
Dave Throup, Environment Agency spokesman for the Midlands, added: "The second named storm of the year is Barbara and she'll be arriving just before Christmas.
"The worst of the wind should be north of our patch."
The Government has readied 1,200 soldiers for flood duties during the winter storm season as it tries to avoid criticism from earlier years that it has been unprepared for catastrophic flooding.
Three battalions of troops have for the first time been formally placed on alert to help the Environment Agency put up barriers and operate pumps.
Soldiers from the 5th Bn The Rifles and King's Royal Hussars as well as logistics specialists and engineers have had four weeks of training to put up nearly 30 miles of new flood barriers across the country.
MeteoGroup forecaster Julian Mayes said: "A named storm is quite likely. Christmas looks very unsettled, with 50-70mph wind gusts possible on Friday and Christmas Eve.
"They will be highest in the north west, with gusts a bit lower in the south east."
And Brian Gaze, a forecaster for the Weather Outlook, added: "Midweek sees a transition to possibly stormy conditions. Heavy rain, strong winds and snow on higher ground could cause travel disruption just before Christmas."
However, a white Christmas for most is looking unlikely, according to forecasters who predict 2016 will end with a spell of unsettled but mild weather.
The festive season will probably come and go without a fall of snow, with daytime temperatures expected to stay above freezing.
