Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Storm Isha will see winds of 80mph batter the West
STORM Isha will bring winds of up to 80mph and heavy rain to parts of the West this weekend, posing a risk to life and damage to buildings, the Met Office said.
The forecaster officially named the storm yesterday and has issued amber weather warnings for wind for northern and western England, Wales, Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland from tomorrow into Monday.
Forecasters said there was a risk to life in coastal areas from large waves and debris being blown inland, and yellow warnings for wind and rain coming into force tomorrow, covering much of the rest of the UK, meaning flooding is likely.
The amber wind warnings also mean potential power cuts and loss of mobile phone signal in affected areas, while roads and bridges are likely to be shut and rail and bus services could face delays and cancellations. But warmer temperatures will replace the recent snow and subzero chills at the weekend, with highs of 12C possible tomorrow.
The forecaster says there could be travel disruption, damage to buildings and flying debris, as south-westerly winds of up to 80mph could hit exposed coasts and there could be gusts of up to 60mph inland. During
a wet and windy weekend across northern England, the heaviest downpours are expected during Sunday as 30-50mm could fall in many places and there is potential for peaks of 80-100mm over hills.
Heavy rain could also lead to flooding and transport disruption tomorrow in Scotland, Wales and north west England.
Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill, in an online forecast, said weekend “temperatures are going to be much higher than they have
been”. He said: “Quite widely we could see places reaching highs of 12C-13C but we need to factor in the strong winds, the rain, the cloud, and so it is not going to feel quite so warm as this might suggest.”
He added: “Temperatures will be on the mild side, lifting as we go through this weekend and staying mild through much of next week. There may be some chillier spells but I think that any frost is likely to be isolated if we see any at all. There could be some overnight fog, particularly where we see drier calmer weather towards the South East.”
The Environment Agency had issued 12 flood warnings, where flooding was expected, and 59 flood alerts where flooding was possible, as of yesterday morning. An amber cold health alert, issued by the UK Health Security Agency, is in place until noon today. It warns of possible impact on the health and social care sector.
Met Office deputy chief meteorologist David Hayter said: “A change in weather type is on the way, bringing milder air for the UK during the course of the weekend. This change will initially be relatively benign in terms of weather impacts, with a dry start to Saturday for many in the south of the UK. The Atlantic influence will then introduce some wet and windy weather, with a deep area of low pressure approaching from the west on Sunday.”
Surfing has been cancelled this weekend at The Wave in South Gloucestershire after icy temperatures caused the lake to freeze over. The man-made surfing pool turned into a sheet of ice yesterday morning, after temperatures in the area plunged to lows of -5C in the area overnight.
The Wave, in Easter Compton, was closed yesterday and all surfing and lessons are cancelled today and tomorrow.