Met Office issues weather warnings as gale-force winds and storms batter UK

01 August 2023 , 08:16

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Weather warnings for wind have been issued by the Met Office (Image: PA)

Weather warnings have been issued across the UK as people have been told to brace for "unseasonably windy" conditions.

A yellow alert for wind from the Met Office will apply to Wales and the south of England from 4am until 6pm on Wednesday, with the national forecaster advising there will likely be "some disruption" to travel and outdoor activities. The warning reads: "Unseasonably windy conditions, accompanied by showers or longer spells of rain, will affect southern England and Wales during Wednesday.

"The highest winds will affect the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall from early morning, spreading into other English Channel coastal areas during the morning with gusts expected to widely reach 45-50 mph and perhaps in excess of 55-60 mph in the most exposed spots in the far south and southwest of England. Later in the afternoon winds will start to slowly ease."

Rain will sweep the country throughout the week, with little sign of an improvement in the weather (Graham Hunt/BNPS)

The Met Office added that specific caution should be taken by drivers of "high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges", while coastal communities would be likely to experience "large spray and/or large waves". Some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport are also likely, while some bus and train services would "probably" be affected.

Some short term loss of power and other services is also possible. Several parts of the country are also under yellow warnings for thunderstorms tomorrow, including South West England, Yorkshire and the Humber, and the East Midlands. Elsewhere on Wednesday a wet and windy day is expected for many, though some sunny intervals may emerge in the northeast.

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

It comes as many parts of the country have been told to expect at least another week of miserable rainy and overcast conditions in the wake of a 'washout' July, which saw two towns record their highest ever rain totals for the month. The town of Preston in Lancashire and County Tyrone in Northern Ireland experienced two to three times the average rainfall over the course of the month.

Things look unlikely to improve anytime soon, according to the Met Office, who said there are "no strong signals for any warmer or more settled weather" in August. This is because the phase of unsettled weather pushed towards the British Isles and northern Europe by the jet stream appears "likely to continue to dominate at least for the first half of the month".

Though there is a chance of bright and dry interludes later in August, it also looks "fairly unlikely that we will see any prolonged or excessive heat", as present conditions mean the likelihood of heatwaves in the UK are much lower than in recent years.

Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas