RAGE OF GALE FORCE GARETH
Britain braced for worst weather in more than a year
ANYONE who thought that winter was over is in for a shock this week.
After days of storms, forecasters have warned that Britain is about to be battered by the worst period of weather since last year’s Beast from the East.
Conditions will worsen over the coming days and a number of yellow weather warnings are already in place, with rain and high winds expected to cause problems until next weekend.
Most of the country will be hit by downpours and gusts of up to 65mph, as a weather system that could be named Storm Gareth spreads across the country on Tuesday.
Today is expected to be relatively calm, but wet and windy weather will begin moving in across Northern Ireland and Western Scotland this evening.
Most places will experience high winds and heavy rain tomorrow and Met Office forecaster Greg Dewhurst said conditions would remain ‘very unsettled’ for the rest of the week.
He said: ‘We’ve already issued weather warnings for Tuesday into Wednesday. It’s the most widespread and prolonged unsettled spell we’ve had in a while.’
While temperatures will remain average for this time of the year, it will feel much colder because of the wind. Racegoers attending this week’s Cheltenham Festival can expect gales, especially on Wednesday.
Yesterday, hundreds of homes were left without power and garage roofs were ripped off after parts of Wales were hit by snow and strong winds.
In London two women had a narrow escape when a scaffolding tower collapsed. Nicole Brown, 24, and Layla Galvin, 34, avoided death by ‘seconds’ when the structure came down in the Kensington street where Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood lives.
The Queen Elizabeth II bridge across the Thames at the Dartford crossing was closed due to strong winds.
Devon and Cornwall Police reported an ‘ exceptional number’ of calls about fallen trees. In the Pennines, Woodhead Pass was closed because of snow and a collision, and in Leicestershire the fast lane of the M1 between junctions 22 and 23 was declared ‘unsafe’ due to snow.
A fisherman was rescued from stormy seas by the HM Coastguard Newquay helicopter after he fell overboard off Salcombe.