Go on then, own up – who put another storm on their Christmas list this year? We’re going to hope no one said yes to that.
It might not be what we asked for, but unfortunately, it’s what we’re going to get.
It’s that awkward part of the festive break where the hustle and bustle of the Christmas days have died down, Boxing Day has been and gone, the new year is coming up, and nobody knows what day it is – but what we do know though, sadly, is that another storm is arriving today, and it’s set to batter the UK with some pretty grim weather.
Storm Gerrit was officially been named by the Met Office yesterday, and forecasters say it will bring “strong winds and heavy rain”, with “wintry hazards” also likely in some parts of the country.
With Brits told to prepare for the newly-named storm to arrive today (27 December), a number of weather warnings have been put in place by the Met Office – including two yellow weather warnings, one for wind and one for rain, covering most of north west England.
That means, as usual, Greater Manchester, sounds like it’s in for a bit of a rough time.
The yellow weather warning for rain means we should expect heavy downpours, with a potential for disruption to travel and a risk of flooding, while the yellow warning for wind is also forecast to bring travel disruption, and potential short-term power loss, among other inconveniences.
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“Storm Gerrit will run towards western UK on Wednesday and bring with it potential impacts for much of the UK,” explains Frank Saunders, who is a Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office.
“Winds across southern coastal areas of England will be strong, possibly peaking around 70 mph on exposed coastlines, but more widely around 50-60 mph within the warning area.
An unsettled start to Wednesday as #StormGerrit brings strong winds, heavy rain and snow⚠️
☔ Rain sweeping across the country, falling as snow over the higher ground in the north 🌨️⚠️
🌬️ Blustery showers and the occasional sunny spell developing later in Northern Ireland pic.twitter.com/SqWsonImKI
“Rain is an additional hazard from Storm Gerrit, with active weather fronts leading to a wet day for many.”
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Mr Saunders also added that snow is “likely to cause problems for some northern areas”, but this will only be briefly for a few upland routes across the Pennines and southern Scotland overnight and early on Wednesday.
For the rest of the UK, including Greater Manchester, it’s the combination of heavy rain and very strong winds that will “dominate”.
Storm Gerrit will transition gradually to the North East late on Wednesday and into Thursday, according to the Met Office, and then, when looking forward to later in the week, forecasters say we should prepare for “further unsettled weather” is likely later in the week.
Yet again, strong winds, rain, and even some snow are expected across parts of the UK.
Microdot exhibit for BRITs 2026: the artwork of Oasis, Verve and more up in Manchester Piccadilly
Danny Jones
If you’ve passed through Manchester Piccadilly of late, you might have noticed two things: one, it’s really quiet, and two, there’s loads of cool Britpop merch and memorabilia on display, including original Oasis, The Verve, Inspiral Carpets art and more – all courtesy of Microdot.
Set up as part of the city’s own BRITs celebrations, along with a raft of other nationwide festivities, as the annual music award ceremony prepares to make its Manc debut at the Co-op Live this month, the showcase features special edition frames and more, all pride of place in the middle of the train station.
This collection, simply entitled ‘A Microdot Design’, is all done by the legendary Brian Cannon, the graphic designer and art director behind so much recognisable visual material within the genre.
We recently had the honour of speaking to the man himself in person ahead of Piccadilly’s temporary closure; you can see our interview with him right here:
The Wigan-born artist and visionary didn’t just make promotional materials for some of the biggest bands in the 1990s; he’s responsible for what has gone on to become some of the most familiar iconography in British music history.
With this pop-up exhibit available for a limited time only, we strongly urge you to go along and, for once, take your time rather than rushing around the station as you peruse the boards placed right near the main entrance.
Charting his work from circa 1990 up until now, it’s crazy to see just how many of Brian and Microdot’s fingerprints are all over so many different bands and artists.
From native names like Oasis, The Verve and the Inspirals, as mentioned, as well as the likes of Cast, Super Furry Animals, Suede and Ash, plus so many more, this guy has been nothing short of prolific over the past few decades.
Audio North took a little tour of the King Street South unit last year in the lead-up to Oasis Live ’25 reunion world tour, and we felt like kids in a Britpop sweetshop.
While this site has sadly since closed, shutting up shop back in July, Brian’s mini, modest, but nevertheless magic Microdot Boutique up in the Lake District is still standing.
Located in the popular North West town and tourist attraction, Kendal, it’s worth a trip there to see more of his portfolio alone.
Currently on display at Manchester Piccadilly ahead of the full 2026 BRITs Week and shindig at Co-op Live, it’s one of the best completely free things you can do in town at the moment – but the exhibition finishes on Sunday, 1 March, so make sure you don’t miss it.
Speaking of the BRIT Awards, if you’re wondering what else is on as 0161 gets ready welcome them for their two-year stint (at least), look no further…
Two brothers from Oldham are beating out the likes of Taylor Swift in the iTunes charts
Danny Jones
A pair of brothers from Oldham who simply go by Two Connors are now holding on to the top spot in one of the biggest iTunes charts, and they’re beating the likes of Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Bad Bunny and many more.
Stuff your global music stars, we’ll back a duo from Greater Manchester all day long.
Danny and Callum Connor, a couple of blokes from Oldham in their mid-30s, are currently number one in the iTunes singles charts with their latest song, ‘Familiar Faces’, but this isn’t the first time they’ve gone big with a release online.
Carving out their own little corner not only in the old Lancashire borough but a small pocket in the UK’s wider grime, drill, rap and hip-hop scene, they’ve only gotten bigger over the last 18 months or so.
After releasing their first two tracks back in 2024, Callum and Danny have been on a very gradual rise, but they quickly gained a cult local following in and around Oldham.
Writing about life and around the area, with high personal and anecdotal lyrics that feel like niche references and in-jokes specifically for‘Roughyed’ residents – it’s not just music by them but FOR them.
In addition to recording their own unique cover of ‘Bad Habits’ by Ed Sheeran, they also went fairly viral for releasing a music video featuring crowds of local children.
Putting their own chant-based chorus slant on ‘Hi Ho, Hi Ho, “It’s off to Work We Go”‘, written by Mitch Miller and The Sandpipers (yes, as in the main theme from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), it was a fairly radio-friendly tune that was easy for kids and more to sing along with.
With various other natives getting involved in the music video, joining them on the town centre streets and lip-syncing the lyrics, it was circulated online all over Britain and beyond.
You can watch it in full down below.
Fast forward to February 2026, and not only have they grown their following across the region, but even further afield now, as it turns out; currently sitting ahead of ‘Opalite’ from worldwide smash-hit album, The Life of a Showgirl, who needs big label backing, eh?
Bringing smiles to even more Greater Mancs by quite literally shining the spotlight on ‘Familiar Faces’ and punters from nearby pubs such as The Up Stepps Inn and former nightclub Sruples, it is a real tribute to their homeland.
Only time will tell how long they’ll cling to that iTunes top spot, but with nearly 73,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and counting, they might be one of the biggest music names to come out of OL in some time.
In other big news over in Oldham, on the sporting side of things, RLFC are staring down yet more uncertainty, with local hero Bill Quinn also wrapping up his time at the club.
Emily Sergeant -
27th December 2023 
