Weather warning as 75mph storm Aileen roars in
BRITAIN faces rush hour chaos today as Storm Aileen unleashes 75mph gales and torrential rain.
Severe weather warnings were last night issued across swathes of Britain ahead of the first named storm of autumn 2017.
Winds are forecast to be strong enough to damage trees, hurl debris and knock out power lines.
Government forecasters warned the full thrust of the storm would hit during the early hours of today.
The Met Office issued a yellow weather alert for gales across much of England, with a rain warning in the north. A separate amber wind warning – the first to be issued in more than seven months – covers the central belt of the UK into this morning.
While the worst of the storm will have passed by mid-morning, much of the country faces a wet and blustery day, according to the Met Office.
Chief forecaster Frank Saunders warned that the worst of the weather would hit between midnight and 8am today. He said: “Storm Aileen is expected to bring strong winds of up to 75mph to a central segment of the United Kingdom.
“And there will be some heavy rain pushing eastwards overnight, which could see accumulations of one and a half inches.
“The low pressure system bringing these strong winds will move fairly swiftly from west to east over the UK and although there will still be some disruption through Wednesday morning, the winds will ease by the afternoon, leaving a day of blustery showers.”
Met Office forecaster Emma Sharples had a chilling warning for those still clinging on to the hope of an Indian summer.
While the outlook for the rest of the week may be more settled, it will be colder, thanks to winds coming from the Arctic. She said: “We could see the odd grass frost overnight this weekend.”
Travel groups have urged people to take extra care in the adverse weather conditions.
RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: “Aileen’s impact is likely to be short but sharp in the north of England, and felt most by those driving in the early hours of Wednesday morning and into the morning rush hour. High-sided vehicles will need to take particular care, but anyone who is driving can expect to experience some very strong gusts and heavy rain.”
The Environment Agency last night issued 11 flood alerts and two more serious flood warnings at Keswick campsite in the Lake District and Porlock Weir, Somerset.