Heavy rain and strong winds will sweep across parts of the UK as millions prepare to get away for the bank holiday weekend. Storm Lilian, announced by the Met Office on Thursday, could bring gusts of up to 80mph – with travel disruption, flooding, power cuts and dangerous conditions near coastal areas all likely. The forecaster issued two new yellow weather warnings for rain in south-west Scotland and the Aberdeenshire coast from 9pm on Thursday to 9am Friday. There is the possibility of thunder, while 20-30mm of rainfall is expected across both areas – with a chance of 40-50mm over higher ground.A yellow wind warning was issued for northern England and north Wales from 5am to 11am on Friday, with the storm widely expected to bring gusts of 50-60mph in the region. Large parts of Scotland and northern England faced heavy rain and strong winds on Wednesday. Two yellow wind warnings covering northern Wales and northern England, including Cumbria and Northumberland, were already in place on Thursday morning. The Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said: “Storm Lillian is an area of low pressure which is going to be drifting towards the UK from the west and bringing some strong winds and some heavy rain in the early hours of Friday and through Friday morning as well.” Lilian would the 12th named storm of the season – the furthest the Met Office has got through the annual alphabetical list since it was introduced – and the first since April. Storms are named when they have the potential to cause disruption or damage which could result in an amber or red warning, the Met Office said. This is primarily based on impacts from strong winds, but other weather types will also be considered, including rain – if flood warnings are advised by national agencies – or snow. Dixon advised people to “take steps to do what you can do to protect your property and people from injury, so checking for loose items around your home and planning how to secure them down, whether that’s bins, garden furniture or trampolines, and checking travel plans before you head out if you’re within those warning areas to avoid delays – and amending any plans as needed. Gathering torches, batteries and power packs for mobile phones can be useful things to do to prepare for power cuts.” Lillian’s influence would “wane” by Friday afternoon as it reduced in intensity and pushed off into the North Sea, Dixon said. After the possibility of some heavy showers early on Saturday, settled conditions were likely to develop across southern and eastern England and Wales, with sunny spells and dry conditions mixed with the odd chance of scattered showers. The north and north-west would continue to have “a fairly unsettled weekend”, with various fronts moving in and bringing more persistent rain, particularly for parts of western Scotland and Northern Ireland, the forecaster said. Temperatures were forecast to reach highs of 21C on Saturday and Sunday, and 23C on Monday in the south-east, slightly below average for the time of year. A New Order concert due to take place in Cardiff on Thursday had been cancelled, with organisers citing the “severe winds” and a bad weather forecast. People attending the sold-out Reading and Leeds festivals over the bank holiday weekend were likely to avoid the worst of any of the conditions.