Exact areas Storm Pia to lash UK as 650-mile weather warning for wind in force

21 December 2023 , 06:42

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The massive 650 mile weather warning in place today

Brits could face Christmas travel chaos this festive season as Storm Pia brings 80mph winds with a 650-mile long weather warning in force.

The country faces a wet and windy run up to the big day. So if you’re heading out on any last minute shopping, or errands, bring a raincoat and leave the umbrella at home. Storm Pia could bring winds of up to 80mph as it made landfall overnight, settling in and bringing the worst of the wet and windy weather throughout today.

A yellow weather warning is in place covering the majority of the UK, from the Shetland Islands all the way down to Birmingham. The 650-mile long weather warning encompasses all of Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Northern parts of Wales down to Harlech, Oswestry and Telford are all set for a blustery day today and in England, Birmingham and Cambridge mark the boundary of the weather warning. It promises to bring disruption to travel as Brits are advised to be aware of the strong winds when out and about.

Storm Pia is being caused by an area of "notably deep" low pressure sweeping to the north of the UK from the Norwegian Sea. Last night, it moved across the waters and settling into through midnight into the early hours of this morning. Much of the worst of the wind will hit the north west of England, curving inland towards the likes of Leeds.

Gales, snow and rain to batter country today with 80mph wind gusts

The storm could cause travel disruption in the run up to Christmas. Northern Scotland will see 70-80mph winds, with 45-55mph winds elsewhere across the UK. The yellow weather warning is in place from midnight overnight, and across today until 9pm.

The Shetland Islands Council said all schools will be closed on Thursday due to the high winds, extra network engineer workers are being brought in to deal with potential power cuts and inter-island ferries are expected to be disrupted. The low pressure system has been named Storm Pia by the Danish authorities, but it was not expected to be severe enough in the UK to warrant being officially named.

Fierce winds are set to batter the UK today (wx charts)

Stephen Dixon, a Met Office spokesperson, said: "It is quite a wide wind warning area. Gusts are forecast quite widely to be 45-55mph, possibly 65-70mph to the east of high ground in Scotland. The strongest winds are likely to be found in the north and north east of Scotland including the Northern Isles, with 70-80mph in the morning."

The Met Office forecast showers along with the wind, with more rain expected on Friday. Looking ahead, Mr Dixon said there was the possibility of snow on Christmas Day but only in the far north of Scotland. "It looks like there will be a drier afternoon in the south of the UK for those post-Christmas dinner walks," he said.

Tom Wilkinson