Weather warnings have been issued across the UK for strong winds and heavy rain over the weekend. Areas near the Irish Sea could see gusts of up to 70mph, with parts of the Midlands, northern England and Northern Ireland experiencing winds of 45-55mph, the Met Office said. There will be rain across northern and western areas on Friday evening, with the heaviest downpours in south-west Scotland. There will be clear spells farther south with scattered showers but more rain will return to south-west England later. Wind speeds will increase in the west during Saturday morning then across other areas through the afternoon, before easing slowly from the west through the evening. Homes and businesses may be flooded as up to 80mm of rain could fall in some parts of the UK, the forecaster said. Yellow weather warnings for rain have been issued on Saturday for areas of Dorset and Devon, southern Scotland and Northern Ireland, with ground already heavily saturated. Heavy rain – 30-50mm – is expected to fall widely in southern Scotland, with possibly 60-80mm over higher ground, beginning on Friday night, the Met Office said. Stephen Dixon, a spokesperson for the Met Office, said on Friday: “We’re in for a wet and windy weekend. From 6pm tonight a band of heavy wind and rain will move through Scotland. There’s a possibility of flooding because of the already saturated ground. “Another band will move tomorrow morning from the south-west of the UK towards the north-east, bringing with it heavy rain for much of the country. By the afternoon most of the heavy wind and rain will have passed and it will just be showers for southern areas.” The bad weather could cause delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport, and coastal routes and sea fronts may be affected by spray and large waves, the Met Office added. The unsettled weather will continue into Sunday and next week with a chance of further weather warnings. The latest Met Office temperature forecast suggests that 2023 will be a record-breaking year for global temperature and that 2024 will follow suit, possibly exceeding the 1.5C rise warned of by climate experts for the first time. The average global temperature for 2024 is forecast to be between 1.34C and 1.58Cabove the average for the pre-industrial period (1850-1900). Scientists and governments have agreed to a target of trying to keep heating below 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.