Mild autumn puts trees at risk with high winds on way

Those that have not yet shed their leaves are more vulnerable to damage from expected bad weather

BRITAIN’S trees are at risk of being toppled by wind because they kept their “sail-like” leaves over a mild autumn, the Met Office has warned.

A warmer autumn season with relatively little wind means many deciduous trees have still not shed their leaves, meaning they could be more easily damaged or uprooted during upcoming bad weather, the weather service said.

Britain is set to be hit by winds of up to 80mph towards the end of the week, with yellow weather warnings for wind issued for tomorrow and Saturday.

Unusually for this time of year, there have been no named storms or severe periods of wind during the autumn, meaning branches have been left intact.

Normally one or two would have been expected to hit the UK during the season. Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said: “These will be very strong winds, severe gales in places, gusts of potentially up to 80mph in some exposed coastal locations, more likely 55 to 60 elsewhere, but even so that’s still very strong winds.

“It is likely to have local impacts, particularly as you’ve got things like trees still in pretty full leaf because it’s been a mild autumn.

“When you got bare branches, the wind is more able to go through. But when the tree is in full leaf, it’s more like a sail, it catches more of the wind.”

The weekend’s weather does not currently meet the requirements to be considered a storm and allocated a name, but it could still develop into one.

The “very windy weather” could cause delays to transport, damage buildings, lead to bridge and road closures and cause power cuts, as well as uprooting trees.

“Leaves are still on the trees and then you get some severe gales, which is what there will be for some parts, and therefore that can present more of an obstruction for the wind and makes the loss of trees or branches, limbs of trees more likely, because there’s more wind resistance,” Mr Madge added.

Yellow weather warnings are in place across parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland tomorrow, extending to the rest of the UK on Saturday.

“Prolonged periods” of snowfall are also possible at higher elevations in parts of Scotland and Northern England and Wales at the end of the week.

Areas above 600ft in Scotland have the highest chance of snow from tomorrow. Hilly areas in the North such as the

‘With bare branches, the wind is more able to go through. But when the tree is in full leaf, it’s like a sail’

Pennines are also more likely to experience this type of weather, though it is unlikely to be heavy enough to settle, the Met Office said.

Mr Madge said there was “no sign” of snow in lower areas in England and Wales, but added “never say never”.

It will come after “several shots” of Arctic air move into the UK later this week, as the jet stream dips southwards, which will bring much colder and wetter weather.

Temperatures could dip as low as -2C (28F) in parts of London and the Southeast overnight tonight and drop to freezing tomorrow night, while reaching around 6C (43F) during the day on Saturday.

The temperatures are below average for November but not exceptionally low, the Met Office added, with the official meteorological winter period set to begin next Wednesday, Dec 1.