SUSSEX will be hit by gale force winds and heavy rain as the remnants of Hurricane Gonzalo make landfall tonight.

Gusts of up to 50mph will batter the coast with downpours expected in the early hours of Tuesday.

There is the possibility of disruption to transport with ferry passengers urged to check with their provider before travelling.

Over the weekend Hurricane Gonzalo pounded Bermuda with trees crushed, power lines flattered and the island’s main hospital badly damaged.

While much of the storm’s energy will be lost over the Atlantic, it will still be felt when it reaches the UK.

Simon Partridge, forecaster at the Met Office, predicts the storm will arrive in Sussex late on Monday night and early Tuesday morning with gusts of up to 50mph thrashing the coast.

There will also be heavy rainfall, with more than 15mm expected.

He added: “It will certainly be a wet and windy period with winds reaching gale force.

“However, it will move on quite quickly and by midday on Tuesday the rain and winds will ease.”

He added: “To be honest the real weather story for your part of the country recently has been how warn it’s been.

“We’ve seen temperatures of 16c, 17c, 18c, even at night, which is way above the average for this time of year.

“This has been as a result of another hurricane, Hurricane Fay, which was over the Caribbean a few days ago.

“That warm air has come over and made it quite pleasant.”

The AA’s severe weather team is on standby for tomorrow morning’s rush hour.

John Seymour, national manager of the AA’s severe weather team, said: “It’s going to be a bit of a grotty morning on the roads with the combination of heavy rain and strong winds creating some difficult driving conditions.

“Although heavy, the rain is expected to pass through fairly quickly, so strong gusts are likely to present a greater hazard than flooding.

“If you see twigs or small branches on the road there could easily be a tree or large branch in the road around the next bend. Hitting debris like this at speed could be very serious, so it’s important to keep your speed down and drive with care, particularly on rural roads early tomorrow morning.”