Brits are being warned of 80mph winds from Storm Darragh with an amber danger to life warning issued by the Met Office.
A period of very strong northerly or northwesterly winds is likely to develop during Saturday as Storm Darragh moves from west to east, states the Met Office, with the amber warning running down the west coast of the UK and also covering Northern Ireland.
“Gusts of 70 to 80 mph are likely around exposed coasts and headlands, where some very large waves are likely, whilst gusts of 60 to 70 mph are likely inland. The strongest winds will ease from the west through the afternoon,” it says.
The amber warning runs from 3am on Saturday morning through to 9pm with it stating: “Potentially damaging winds associated with Storm Darragh.” There are also yellow warnings for wind which cover parts of the UK from today until Sunday and there is an alert for rain in the West Midlands which runs from 2pm until 6pm today.
Neil Armstrong is a Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office and said: “A spell of strong winds will affect parts of northern Scotland from Wednesday afternoon until Thursday morning. Winds will initially be south or southeasterly, but turn westerly during Thursday morning. Gusts will reach 50-60 mph widely with 65-75mph possible in places, especially around exposed coasts.
“A band of rain will also move eastwards across the UK overnight, bringing heavy rain to most parts of the UK as it crosses the country. We expect this rain to clear the southeast of England by 7am on Thursday morning, before another spell of wet and windy weather begins.”
What should I expect from amber warning?
There is a good chance that power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage
Probably some damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs
Longer journey times and cancellations likely, as road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected
Flying debris is likely and could lead to Injuries or danger to life
Some roads and bridges likely to close, with falling trees an additional hazard
Injuries and danger to life is likely from large waves and beach material being thrown onto coastal roads, sea fronts and properties
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After the rain clears through Thursday evening, Friday will bring a short spell of calmer weather with a good deal of sunshine for many before another area of low pressure moves into western parts of the UK on Friday afternoon, with increasing cloud, strengthening winds and heavy rain moving in from the west.
Mike Silverstone, deputy chief meteorologist at the Met Office said: “While there is still uncertainty about the track and depth of the low pressure, Friday night and Saturday will be wet and very windy across parts of the UK. Some model solutions have the low pressure further north and much deeper, bringing very strong winds and heavy rain, whilst other model solutions have the low pressure further south and not as deep, still bringing unsettled weather but not as impactful.”
And Met Office forecaster Alex Deakin said: “This large area of rain, that is an intensifying area of low pressure that is going to bring a wet and windy spell across the country during Friday night and Saturday. Still a little bit of uncertainty about the exact track of this low but it has the potential to cause some issues. Notice the isobars close together, that means it’s going to be windy but that low will also be bringing more rain after what has already been a pretty wet couple of days.”
Regions and local authorities affected by amber warning
North West England
Blackpool
Cheshire West and Chester
Cumbria
Halton
Lancashire
Merseyside
Northern Ireland
County Antrim
County Armagh
County Down
County Fermanagh
County Londonderry
County Tyrone
SW Scotland, Lothian Borders
Dumfries and Galloway
South West England
Bath and North East Somerset
Cornwall
Devon
Dorset
Isles of Scilly
North Somerset
Plymouth
Somerset
Torbay
Strathclyde
South Ayrshire
Wales
Bridgend
Caerphilly
Cardiff
Carmarthenshire
Ceredigion
Conwy
Denbighshire
Flintshire
Gwynedd
Isle of Anglesey
Neath Port Talbot
Newport
Pembrokeshire
Powys
Rhondda Cynon Taf
Swansea
Vale of Glamorgan
Wrexham
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