HAMPSHIRE is set to be battered by extreme winds and lashing rain that is set to cause havoc tomorrow.

That was the advice issued by weather experts as the south braces itself to be battered by 70mph winds and lashing rain throughout today.

There are also warnings of possible flooding as the horrid conditions hit the south coast from early this morning that will bring misery on the roads.

Met Office forecasters are predicting heavy rain to hit first thing and continue throughout the day with gusts of up to70 miles an hour on the coast, peaking around 3pm.

The high winds will continue well into the evening while drivers are being warned to allow extra time because of poor visibility.

In particular they are urging people planning on travelling towards Devon and Somerset to delay their journeys until late afternoon.

Temperatures will range from 6 degrees celsius in the morning to 11 degrees celsius in the evening, but due to the conditions it will feel as much as 5 degrees colder.

The heavy rain looks set to continue into the early hours of tomorrow with winds gusting up to 59 miles an hour, but should stop by around 3pm, though it will remain cloudy. The Environment Agency has put areas around the River Blackwater on flood alert, which means flooding is possible and residents should be prepared.

The river flows north of Wellow, near Romsey, and joins the River Test between Totton and Redbridge.

It said that water levels on the river are high but had started to drop off following the rain of Saturday and Sunday morning.

Though it expected river levels to fall before today, if the 40 to 60mm of rain predicted falls it warned that properties are likely to be flooded and residents should prepare for that possibility.

.Just a few weeks ago storms in Hampshire brought down trees, causing flooding and led to chaos on the roads.