Recent Met Office weather warnings have predicted a disturbed weekend for millions of Brits as a stormy system carrying intense rain and wind makes explosive landfall
Hurricane-force winds approaching 100mph and inches of heavy rain will batter Brits as the seasons change this weekend, latest weather maps have forecast
After a barmy end of this week that saw temperatures jump above 20C for the first time in a while, intense storms appear to have replaced what was a relative calm. Rainfall totals could reach several inches during the six hours the warnings are active, and wind could damage buildings and even cause power cuts.
The Met Office has warned that people should take precautions as bad conditions hit “sensitive areas” with the weather bomb set to detonate ahead of ex-Hurricane Gabriella’s arrival in the UK.
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Extreme winds have appeared as massive purple blotches on weather maps from WXCharts, a service which uses MetDesk to chart weather conditions in the UK and beyond. According to the maps, while the Met Office warnings are active, the heaviest winds will strike the Midlands and east of England, around Birmingham and Norfolk.
Winds in the area will continually stay above 90mph, the maps suggest, even higher off the Norfolk coast, where they appear set to brush 99mph to 100mph on Sunday at about 6am.
Yellow warnings cover the Midlands, parts of southern England and the entirety of Wales, with the Met Office saying the “very strong” gusts could approach a less intense 75mph while the alerts are active between 9pm and 3am. It adds that most inland areas will see average winds clock in at sub-hurricane but still gale-force level during that time.
The alert warns: “Whilst not everywhere in the warning is expected to experience very strong winds, some inland locations may see gusts of 50-60 mph whilst gusts of 65-75 mph are possible around some coasts.
“The strongest winds are more likely around Bristol Channel and the west Wales coast on Saturday afternoon and early evening, then along the North Sea coast of east and northeast England overnight into early Sunday morning.” The heavy wind could cause longer journey times, damage to buildings, temporary road or bridge closures, power cuts and even injuries, the Met Office warns.
A second, overlapping warning for rain covering the Midlands up to Newcastle, warns of intense rainfall also between 9pm and 3am, with some totals set to reach between 20mm to 30mm, and maximums of 60mm to 80mm in the worst affected areas.
Further disruption is also on the horizon, the Met Office long-range forecast predicts, with UK weather potentially being influenced by the arrival of ex-Hurricane Gabrielle, which has descended on Bermuda this weekend. The agency’s September 25 to October 4 forecast warns: “Confidence in any breakdown to unsettled weather however is very low, influenced by ex-Hurricane Gabrielle, which may approach the UK during this time.
“The following week will most likely see a west to east split, with wettest weather remaining in western areas. Temperatures around to above average.”