91Èȱ¬

I was taking a look around the web a moment ago for windproof brollies - yes, they do exist - because I'm not eager toÌýsee my treasured 91Èȱ¬-branded oneÌýwrecked in the weatherÌýwe're forecasting forÌýtomorrow.

My oft-cited desire to see wet and windy autumnalÌýconditions will bear fruit on Tuesday.ÌýAÌýpotent depression will spin-in off the Atlantic, , blowing at more than 230mph.Ìý And that's even faster than Jenson Button.

By morning rush-hour onwards, I'm expecting a distinctly inclement spell of weatherÌýto sweep across all of the West Country. After the recent prolonged period of largely benign weather,Ìýtomorrow will seem quite a shock to the system, I'd imagine.

Heavy rain at times through the late morning and early afternoonÌýcould becomeÌýmore than a mere nuisanceÌýacross the streets of Bristol, Taunton, Swindon and other urban areas. You've doubtless noticed how many leaves are stillÌýon the trees andÌýif brought-down rather quickly by theÌýwinds, they could block some drains, restricting run-off and leaving a lot of standing water.

And those leaves will certainly be sent tumbling tomorrowÌýin some gusty conditions, as an moves steadily eastwards towards midday.

Talking of gusty conditions, many of the occur during the autumn and winter months, oftenÌýembedded within active, squally cold fronts. Their genesis relies on all manner of small-scale (and often short-lived)Ìýatmospheric variables being 'just right', making them extremely tricky to forecast with any true accuracy (let alone at a local level). ÌýI'm sure the storm-chasing community who discussÌýsevere weather onlineÌýat the likes of and will be watching Tuesday's developments with interest. But looking at the set-up, I'm reckoningÌýit's a very low likelihoodÌýfor any tornado sightingsÌýtomorrow. I'd be interested to read the thoughts on this fromÌýthe extreme weather aficionados, here on the blog...Ìý

Now, much though I'd love to be chasing storms tomorrow in scruffy jeans and waterproofs,Ìýinstead I have to get into work dressed in a suit and trying to avoid a drenching. And I'm not keen to see my favourite umbrella head straightÌýfor the rubbish bin, in a tangled mess of waterproof fabric and twisted metal, within seconds of deploying it.

These windproof brollies on the web look ideal. Such evocative names: Gustbuster, Windbreaker, Typhoon, Stormshield... I'm spoilt for choice.

BetÌýI'll still get totally soaked, however.

UPDATE Tuesday 20 October, 1200hrs:

Well, the heavy rain from this occlusion continues to hold just west of much of our region - at least for now. But it's a different story in west Somerset, Devon and parts of Cornwall, as the recent rainfall radar image here clearly shows! It's been tipping-down in those districts in the last couple of hours, with asÌýthe heavy rain edges slowly eastwards. We're currently expecting the main band to weaken and fragment somewhat as it approaches the likes of Bristol, Bath & Gloucester, but further heavyÌýrain is thenÌýlikely to re-emergeÌýinto this afternoon from the south, as the front crosses Wiltshire and along the M4 towards London.

UPDATE Tuesday 20 October, 20.00hrs:

So, the picture is somewhat complex this eveningÌý- much as expected.

I spent some time discussing it all with my colleague Richard Angwin; consideringÌýhow best we can handle theÌýevening forecasts, including the 10.30pm bulletin, in whichÌýI'll present our 30-second weather update. So much detail to squeeze (unscripted!) into so little time! The difficulty is the current re-invigoration of rain (some heavy) affecting two distinct areas at the moment, as you can see in the recent Met Office radar image here: one stretching northwards out across Wiltshire and another further west, up through Dorset, Somerset and towards Bristol. It's hard toÌýjudge the longevity of either feature,Ìýalbeit we expect the western one to gradually fade. The eastern one may linger there or thereabouts for some time overnight,Ìýbut the heavier rain will steadily migrate northwards and eastwards.Ìý And as I noted above, .