Wet and windy conditions will arriveHeavy rain is set to hit Greater Manchester tonight - on the eve of Storm AmyHeavy rain is set to hit Greater Manchester tonight – on the eve of Storm Amy(Image: Met Office)

Storm Amy is set to sweep the UK this weekend with fierce winds and spells of heavy rain.

But Greater Manchester is expected to see a taste of what’s to come tonight (October 2), with the Met Office forecasting a nine-hour spell of rain and wind speeds picking up.

A yellow weather warning for strong wind covers a large area of the UK from 6pm on Friday until 11.59pm on Saturday, with some parts of the North West included.

Greater Manchester avoids the warning – but the region is still expected to be hit by the elements over the coming days.

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Forecasters expect a dry start to today (Thursday), with sunny intervals throughout the morning and lunchtime, as temperatures climb to 18C by 3pm.

Thicker clouds are expected to form as the afternoon goes on, before light rain begins to fall this evening.

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The Met Office expects that rain to turn heavier by 8pm, with downpours forecast until the early hours of Friday morning.

Strong winds are also expected, with gust speeds increasing throughout the evening, to a forecasted peak of 39mph in Manchester at 11pm.

Those stormy conditions are expected to ease during the early hours of Friday morning, when temperatures will be mild at around 13C in Manchester.

Storm Amy’s arrival is expected on Friday, with gusts possibly exceeding 80mph in the worst affected areas of the UK, according to the Met Office.

Greater Manchester is not expected to see gusts anywhere near that speed, but forecasters say it will still be wet and windy later in the day and throughout Saturday.

Spells of heavy rain are forecast on FridaySpells of heavy rain are forecast on Friday(Image: Met Office)

The region is expected to see a cloudy start to Friday, with sunny intervals later in the morning and into lunchtime.

Clouds are forecast to gather later in the afternoon, when Manchester is forecast for a top temperature of 17C, before rain returns in the evening.

Rain is expected to be heaviest at around 6pm and 7pm, while wind speeds will begin to pick up again through the evening, with a peak gust of 41mph forecast in the city at 11pm tomorrow.

Another burst of heavy rain is forecast overnight, while conditions will remain gusty and temperatures could be as mild as 15C at 1am in Manchester.

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Light rain and showers are forecast throughout Saturday, while strong winds are expected to last for much of the day – peaking at 47mph early in the afternoon in Manchester.

Saturday is expected to be cooler, with a top daytime temperature of 13C.

Here is the Met Office’s full hour-by-hour forecast for Manchester for the next three days.

Thursday, October 2

7am – sunny intervals, 13C, wind gust 16mph

8am – sunny intervals, 13C, wind gust 18mph

9am – sunny intervals, 13C, wind gust 20mph

10am – sunny intervals, 14C, wind gust 22mph

11am – sunny intervals, 15C, wind gust 24mph

12pm – sunny intervals, 16C, wind gust 25mph

1pm – sunny intervals, 17C, wind gust 26mph

2pm – sunny intervals, 17C, wind gust 27mph

3pm – cloudy, 18C, wind gust 27mph

4pm – cloudy, 18C, wind gust 24mph

5pm – cloudy, 17C, wind gust 25mph

6pm – light rain, 17C, wind gust 28mph

7pm – light rain, 16C, wind gust 30mph

8pm – heavy rain, 15C, wind gust 33mph

9pm – heavy rain, 14C, wind gust 34mph

10pm – heavy rain, 14C, wind gust 37mph

11pm – heavy rain, 14C, wind gust 39mph

Friday, October 3

12am – heavy rain, 13C, wind gust 38mph

1am – heavy rain, 13C, wind gust 35mph

2am – light rain, 14C, wind gust 29mph

3am – light showers, 14C, wind gust 23mph

4am – overcast, 14C, wind gust 19mph

5am – cloudy, 14C, wind gust 17mph

6am – cloudy, 13C, wind gust 15mph

7am – cloudy, 13C, wind gust 11mph

8am – sunny intervals, 13C, wind gust 12mph

9am – sunny intervals, 13C, wind gust 14mph

10am – sunny intervals, 14C, wind gust 16mph

11am – sunny intervals, 15C, wind gust 17mph

12pm – sunny intervals, 16C, wind gust 19mph

1pm – sunny intervals, 16C, wind gust 21mph

2pm – cloudy, 17C, wind gust 21mph

3pm – cloudy, 17C, wind gust 22mph

4pm – cloudy, 16C, wind gust 21mph

5pm – light rain, 16C, wind gust 24mph

6pm – heavy rain, 15C, wind gust 25mph

7pm – heavy rain, 15C, wind gust 28mph

8pm – light rain, 14C, wind gust 30mph

9pm – cloudy, 14C, wind gust 33mph

10pm – overcast, 14C, wind gust 37mph

11pm – light rain, 14C, wind gust 41mph

Saturday, October 4

12am – light rain, 14C, wind gust 39mph

1am – heavy rain, 15C, wind gust 39mph

2am – heavy rain, 14C, wind gust 34mph

3am – heavy rain, 13C, wind gust 34mph

4am – light rain, 12C, wind gust 34mph

5am – light showers, 12C, wind gust 35mph

6am – light showers, 11C, wind gust 35mph

7am – light showers, 11C, wind gust 31mph

8am – light showers, 10C, wind gust 29mph

9am – sunny intervals, 11C, wind gust 37mph

10am – light showers, 11C, wind gust 43mph

11am – light showers, 12C, wind gust 46mph

12pm – light showers, 12C, wind gust 47mph

1pm – light showers, 13C, wind gust 47mph

2pm – light showers, 13C, wind gust 47mph

3pm – light showers, 13C, wind gust 45mph

4pm – light showers, 13C, wind gust 42mph

5pm – light showers, 13C, wind gust 37mph

6pm – light showers, 12C, wind gust 33mph

7pm – light showers, 12C, wind gust 32mph

8pm – light showers, 11C, wind gust 30mph

9pm – light showers, 11C, wind gust 28mph

10pm – light showers, 11C, wind gust 28mph

11pm – light showers, 11C, wind gust 26mph