Another storm set to cause wide disruption by Victoria Good
As my colleague Peter wrote in his article yesterday, forecasters have been preparing for yet another storm.
An intense depression has been deepening just off the northwest coast of the UK, and over the next 24 to 36 hours, looks as though it’ll be the source of tomorrow’s news headlines.
A full-blown storm is on the cards, with Northern Ireland and many parts of Scotland at the greatest risk of suffering damage from the severe weather. Winds gusting up to 100mph have been forecast, with these most intense storm-force winds likely to batter the north coast of Northern Ireland and northwestern Scotland.
But even areas further south could be at a significantly high risk too. The Central Lowlands of Scotland along with northern England (and especially across the high Trans-Pennine road links) are likely to see winds gusting over 80mph, which will still cause major problems for travellers.
Trees will be blown down by this storm, and plenty of debris will be on the roads later today. High sided vehicles on the roads will be at risk. Air and rail travel will also be affected, so if you’re travelling anywhere on public transport in the next 24 hours, it’s best to check before you leave that your transportation will be going ahead.
There will be some heavy rain coming in with this storm too, but as the winds are so high, most places shouldn’t see more than an hour or so of heavy rain before the wind blows it through. Blustery, squally showers will follow into the west after a brief interlude of brighter skies, but these will tend to intensify and become more prolongued rain across Northern Ireland and Scotland. Western Scotland will most likely see the worst of the rain too, and it is set to turn wintry as well through tonight.
This could bring several centimetres of snow to some Upland areas, and with winds so strong, blizzard conditions will be an additional hazard here tonight.
The worst of the stormy winds are forecast to take their grip through this afternoon and this evening. Gales will last through the night, especially for the northern half of the UK which will stay very windy with further gales through tomorrow. But, it should then quickly settle down, with some much quieter conditions forecast by Thursday across the UK.
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