Storm Noa: Met Office expects Bude to be battered by 62mph winds

With wind speeds of up to 75 mph forecast across Cornwall and the South West, everyone will be feeling the force of Storm Noa, a whirlwind of heavy rain and gale force winds. Cornwall has been hit particularly hard already, with several parts of the county losing power for hours while Cornwall Council warned locals to stay away from exposed coastal areas. The Met Office this morning (April 12) issued a yellow weather warning for strong winds.

This warning, which is in place from 9.30am to 8pm, covers the whole of Cornwall and parts of Devon. The Exeter-based forecaster warns of disruption to travel, including air and train services, power outages, and fallen trees. Gale force winds have been predicted across the South West.

Bude in North Cornwall is expected to bare the worst of the storm and could see winds reach beyond 60mph, with more than 70mph gusts along the coastline [1]. Speeds are expected to remain high through the day, but Bude is forecast a whopping 62mph as of around 5pm this evening. This is the highest wind forecast in Devon and Cornwall, though Barnstaple is also forecasts 60mph winds at around the same time.

Cornwall has already seen many towns lose power as the storm blew in,[3] while trees blew down all over Devon. Cornwall Council warned local residents to stay away from exposed coastal areas where winds are stronger. Huge waves and sea spray have been pictures across the county.

South Western Rail has warned passengers of delays, cancelations, and revisions to its entire South West network because of Storm Noa. Disruption is expected to continue until 5pm. SWR said: "We have been informed of forecast high winds on the network.

This means that a speed restriction of 50mph will be in place until 17:00 on the routes below:

Eastleigh and Weymouth
St. Denys and Portsmouth Harbour via Netley
Eastleigh and Fareham via Botley
Havant and Portsmouth Harbour
Brockenhurst to Lymington

"To help reduce delays, from 10:00 until 17:00 trains running between London Waterloo and Weymouth will not call at New Milton, Christchurch and Pokesdown in both directions. Other services may require short notice alterations during these hours."

The Met Office warns:

Road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected, with longer journey times and cancellations possible, together with possible closure of bridges
Some damage to buildings is possible, with some branches blown off trees, and perhaps a few fallen trees
Power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage
Injuries could occur from large waves or flying debris

Met Office South West weekly forecast

Headline:

Very windy today and feeling unseasonably cold.

Today:

Showers merging into longer periods of rain with heavy bursts. Hail and thunder are possible in places. A drier end to the day with some sunshine, especially in the west.

Very windy with severe gales on coasts. Feeling unseasonably cold. Maximum temperature 11 ?C.

Tonight:

Staying windy this evening, but gales gradually becoming confined to coasts.

Turning much drier with long clear periods and becoming chilly. Further showers, possibly heavy returning to western areas later. Minimum temperature 5 ?C.

Thursday:

A drier and brighter day for most with sunny spells.

Scattered showers developing, these turning locally heavy, but some places staying dry. Feeling a little warmer with much lighter winds. Maximum temperature 12 ?C.

Outlook for Friday to Sunday:

Breezy on Friday with outbreaks of rain, then a fine day on Saturday with sunny spells and lighter winds.

Rather cloudy on Sunday with rain and drizzle.

Temperatures gradually rising.

References

^ more than 70mph gusts along the coastline (www.cornwalllive.com)
^ Live: Storm Noa wreaks havoc in Cornwall as hundreds of homes lose power (www.cornwalllive.com)
^ Cornwall has already seen many towns lose power as the storm blew in, (www.cornwalllive.com)