Strong winds are expected to hit Ireland over the weekend, with Met Eireann choosing to name the weather system Storm Hannah.

The Met Office said on Thursday that its Irish partner had chosen to name the storm, which is expected to bring strong gales to Ireland on Friday night.

Strong winds are also expected in southern parts of the UK, but the bad weather is expected to have ended by the start of Sunday’s London Marathon.

On Wednesday, Met Eireann issued a Status Yellow advisory for Cork and Kerry, warning there would be “potential for stormy conditions for the southwest later on Friday and early Saturday”.

The warning is due to start at 6pm on Friday and expire at 6am on Saturday.

Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said that the system will affect Ireland most significantly.

He said that Met Eireann had chosen to name the storm based on its own criteria and the potential impacts for Ireland.

Mr Madge added that from early Friday winds will start to strengthen, and by the evening rush hour Storm Hannah would start to hit western Wales and parts of Scotland.

He said that going through the evening, the low pressure system would cross into parts of Ireland, affecting western parts.

The spokesman said the Met Office itself would probably not have gone as far as naming the system, which has come from the Atlantic, but will be issuing its own warnings.