The 18z and 00z GFS runs have upped the strength of the gusts in the SE on Monday night into Christmas Eve - there are widespread 70s on xcweather, with Kent showing the strongest winds in the UK in the early hours of Christmas Eve (gusts to 78 MPH being the highest I can find).
The culprit seems to be a tightening of the isobars in the warm sector, meaning the SE (and Kent in particular) will see some of the strongest gusts from this storm. Further north the main thrust of winds will be later on Christmas Eve. GFS shows lower gusts (generally below 70 MPH) but higher mean wind speeds (around 45 to 50, rather than 35 to 40 as is the case further south).
Neither of those options sounds very nice TBH and I'm not looking forward to the 80 MPH+ gusts that we will doubtless be receiving down here early in the morning on Christmas Eve. Hopefully the power will stay on for everyone, as otherwise a pretty miserable Christmas beckons!
Originally Posted by: Whether Idle