Britain on the alert as 70mph winds roar in
BITING winds gusting up to 70mph will batter much of England and Wales this weekend, forecasters warn.
Exposed coastal areas, such as Cornwall and Devon, will be hit by storms that could cause widespread travel disruption and damage to homes.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for today and tomorrow covering the whole of England and Wales – but conditions will not be severe enough for the storm to be given a name.
And although the far north will be less windy, Scotland and northern England can expect snow on higher ground. Winds speeds will strengthen from the west with exposed coastlines in the West and South West experiencing 60mph gusts today, the Met Office said.
The wind speeds could drop tonight but will be even stronger tomorrow, when western coasts could see 70mph gusts. The Met Office warning said: ‘Please be aware of the potential for some disruption due to the strong winds.’
There will be showers in many parts, although temperatures will be warmer than last weekend at around 11C (52F). Next week will start mild. The Met Office’s Emma Sharples said that inland areas will not be quite as windy as at the coast but could still see gusts that exceed 50mph.
‘The showers will be wintry fur- ther north. Parts of Scotland will see snow on higher ground, probably above 300m,’ she said.
Snow showers are expected to move southwards tomorrow with a chance of falls on hills in the North of England. The Environment Agency issued a flood warning yesterday for high tides potentially affecting properties in East Yorkshire, close to the north end of the Humber Bridge.
Despite speculation that this weekend’s storm would be called Clodagh by the Met Office, it has not been given an official name.
The first storm to be named by the Met Office, Abigail, battered Britain a fortnight ago. Last week, Storm Barney blew in from the Atlantic.
Met Office forecaster Lindsay Mears said: ‘Winter officially starts on Tuesday so this kind of weather is quite normal for this time of year.
‘Once the storm has passed on Monday morning, next week should be fairly mild, but getting cooler at the end of the week – however, it’s still quite uncertain. It’s definitely time to take your garden furniture in if you haven’t already.’
A man who counts the snow patches on Scotland’s mountainous areas has recorded 73 left from last winter – the most in 21 years.
Snow expert Iain Cameron, who publishes his data in the Royal Meteorological Journal, believes last winter’s heavy snowfalls, followed by an overcast spring and cool summer, are to blame. He spots six to 12 patches in a typical year.