Braced for Storm Brian
Barriers go up as 70mph winds roar in
STORM Brian will batter large areas of the country today, bringing fierce winds, thunder showers and storm surges.
Forecasters warned yesterday that 70mph gusts combined with high tides could produce lethal surges along the south coast.
They have issued a blanket weather warning for thunder, winds and downpours covering the South, the North West and all of Wales.
The warning yesterday forced the Environment Agency to put up steel barriers in some exposed coastal towns in an effort to prevent flooding.
Just days after the remnants of Hurricane Ophelia battered parts of the UK and Ireland, Storm Brian is expected to barrel in from the Atlantic this morning before tearing its way across central England over the weekend.
That means the heavy showers and gales will last until at least Monday, marking a dismal start to the half-term holiday.
Motorists have been warned to expect torrid conditions on the roads today, while coastal areas are braced for power cuts and flooding.
Winds of 60 to 70mph will whip the coast, with inland gusts reaching 45 to 55mph. Some parts of the country could see more than two inches of rain.
The yellow weather warning lasts until midnight tonight, but it may be extended.
Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said: ‘The main areas of concern this weekend are places with a combination of strong winds and high tides.
‘The worst of that will be along the southern coast, particularly between Dorset and Sussex, but the warning includes the entirety of the south and the coast of Wales.
‘As we move through the weekend, Storm Brian will move across Ireland and then over central England, with the strongest winds on the southern flank of the storm.’
Storm Brian has been referred to by forecasters as a ‘weather bomb’, or explosive cyclogenesis, because it is an area of very intense low pressure.
Yesterday the Environment Agency put up steel flood barricades in the Cornish coastal town of Fowey.
Warnings have gone out to thrill seekers who risk their lives by posing for ‘ storm selfies’ along the coast while the RAC has urged motorists to drive with extra caution.
Last night Network Rail announced that temporary speed restrictions would be in place for several routes along the south, and virtually all routes in Wales.