A period of severe wind due to reach Northern Ireland on Wednesday afternoon has officially been named Storm Agnes.

It is the first named storm of the season, which runs from 1 September until 31 August.

Agnes is expected to bring some damaging and disruptive winds to parts of the UK and Ireland on Wednesday.

Weather warnings have been issued by both the Met Office and Met Éireann for the storm, due to reach the south-west of Ireland on Wednesday morning.

A warning for Northern Ireland comes into place at 12:00 BST on Wednesday and lasts until 07:00 on Thursday.

The Met Office is warning of severe wind gusts of around 100km/h (60mph) for some inland areas.

The storm will also come with some heavy and persistent rain, which will lead to blustery conditions.

Large waves around the coast could also cause some flooding while throwing coastal debris onto roads and properties.

If you have a clear sky where you live it could be worth looking up over the coming nights – as chances of seeing the aurora borealis, or the Northern Lights, have increased in the UK.

This is not only because nights are longer now we have passed the autumn equinox but also because the Sun is also reaching the peak of its 11-year cycle, due to be at the end of 2024 or early 2025.

That means an increase in the number of sunspots – massive fields of magnetic pressure on the surface of the Sun.

These in turn erupt as a coronal mass ejection, or CME, which is when plasma is expelled from the Sun. And if that is pointed in the direction of Earth, it sends charged particles via solar winds toward our atmosphere.

The charged particles interact with oxygen and nitrogen in our atmosphere to create the colours of the aurora we are all familiar with.

Auroras have already been seen in Scotland and in parts of England including North Yorkshire and as far south as Herefordshire.

They were spotted on Sunday night, as pictures from our community of BBC Weather Watchers show, with luminous greens, fiery reds and oranges. as well as teal and purple seen dancing across the sky.

Moderate activity is expected over the next two nights, so if you’re outside try to spot them – and have your camera ready!

Sea ice that packs the ocean around Antarctica hit record low levels this winter, the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) said on Monday, adding to scientists’ fears that the impact of climate change at the southern pole is ramping up.

Researchers warn the shift can have dire consequences for animals like penguins who breed and rear their young on the sea ice, while also hastening global warming by reducing how much sunlight is reflected by white ice back into space.

Antarctic sea ice extent peaked this year on Sept. 10, when it covered 16.96 million square kilometers (6.55 million square miles), the lowest winter maximum since satellite records began in 1979, the NSIDC said.

That’s about 1 million square kilometers less ice than the previous winter record set in 1986.

“It’s not just a record-breaking year, it’s an extreme record-breaking year,” said NSIDC senior scientist Walt Meier.

NSIDC in a statement said that the figures were preliminary with a full analysis to be released next month.

Seasons are reversed in the Southern hemisphere with sea ice generally peaking around September near the end of winter and later melting to its lowest point in February or March as summer draws to a close.

The summer Antarctic sea ice extent also hit a record low in February, breaking the previous mark set in 2022.

Lake Tegano, sometimes referred to as Lake Tenggano or Big Water, is a large lake that can be found on the Rennell Island, locally known as Mugaba, within the Rennell and Bellona Province of the Solomon Islands.

Having length of about 29 km (18 mi) and width of 10 km (6 mi), the lake occupies almost 18% of the land area of the big island which in the past was a lagoon.

The depth of the water is measured to be 44 meters (144 feet), consisting of a mixture of brackish fresh and salt water, making it a great inhabitable place for eels and water snakes.

Considered to be the largest inland lake in the South Pacific, there is great importance to this body of water, since it was also listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site List in 1998.

With numerous limestone island, supporting high level of endemism, Lake Tegano is a great natural gem of the Solomon Islands, since it had an important role in throughout its history.

As a matter in fact, it was used as an airbase during World War II, where according to some locals, there are still nine aircraft that can be found at the bottom of the lake.

The locals even tried to bring one of the airplane’s engines on shore, however, due to the heavy weight they quit, even though it was so close to being taken out. Today, one of the propeller blades is exposed to the air, which in fact is an interesting sight for the visitors of Rennell Island.

The flora and fauna is very unique as there can be found more than 300 species of algae and diatoms, some of which exhibit a level of endemism, and with the birds that nest on the lake’s shores, the Birdwatchers are definitely find the area very enjoyable.

All in all, even though it is not very famous around the world, Lake Tegano should definitely be on the visit list of every single person who is planning to visit not just Rennell Island, but also the Solomon Islands.