Severe weather alerts have been issued amid fears Britain is about to be hit by the most powerful storm in years.

A series of wind, rain and flood alerts are now in place as forecasters predict gales of more than 80mph – classed as hurricane strength.

The Met Office warned people to “be prepared for the risk of falling trees as well as damage to buildings and other structures”.

The storm is currently developing over the Atlantic and will potentially hit UK land on Sunday night and into Monday.

Today, forecasters urged people to prepare for the storm, with some comparing its potential to the Great Storm of 1987 and record-breaking gales in Wales in 1989.

Jo Wheeler said: “Late October is notorious for strong storms, with a wind gust of 124mph recorded in the Vale of Glamorgan in 1989.

“Should this storm achieve its potential, it is likely to bring down trees and to cause damage to roads and buildings, possibly causing major transport disruption and power cuts.”

Wheeler said the storm was due to develop over the Atlantic in the next 24 hours as a strong jet stream and warm air combine to create a deep low-pressure system.

While its trajectory is unclear, there are fears it may hit land, wreaking chaos over England and Wales.

If it does make land, it is likely to hit Wales and the South West first before sweeping east and touching most of the country.

Exposed coasts in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, West Sussex, East Sussex and Kent are most likely to feel the brunt of the winds.

The storm could also miss land completely – sweeping instead through the English Channel.

Met Office senior forecaster Helen Chivers said: “Winds of that strength are damaging winds – there will be a risk of damage to homes and trees and disruption to travel.

“This is not a storm you see every winter. The storm of 1987 is one, and the Burns day storm in January 1990 is another.”

Atlantic storms of this type usually develop further west across the ocean, losing strength by the time they reach the UK and Ireland.

But this one is unusual in that it is expected to appear much closer to land, potentially moving across the country while it is in its most powerful phase.

The storm is expected to strike two weeks later than the Great Storm of 1987, which left a trail of destruction on October 15 and 16.

It flattened trees, knocked out power and left 22 people dead in England and France.

Forecasters at the time famously failed to predict the severity of the storm.

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