UK weather: ‘Storm Agnes’ forecast to bring heavy rain and winds up …
Met Office issue a danger to life warning for Wednesday and Thursday as the UK braces for up to 80mph winds
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Strong winds and heavy rain are set to batter the UK as Agnes, the first named storm of the season, sweeps across the country this week.
The Met Office has issued a danger to life warning for Wednesday and Thursday, covering large swathes of the country. Gale force winds could result in travel disruption, damage to buildings and even power cuts, the forecaster has warned.
Met Office chief meteorologist Steve Ramsdale said: “While the precise track and depth of Storm Agnes is still being determined, there’s a high likelihood of wind gusts around 50 to 60mph for some inland areas. Exposed coastal areas could see gusts of 65-75mph with a small chance of a few places seeing around 80mph.”
He added that around 60mm of rain would be possible in a few areas of high ground in Scotland.
Storm Agnes follows a week of heavy downpours in parts of the UK. Britain was hit by the remnants of two hurricanes, Lee and Nigel, dumping large amounts of rain that led to flooding in London and other parts of the country.
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Storm Agnes set to batter the UK with strong winds and heavy rain across the country
The Met Office have warned that strong winds and heavy rain are set to batter the UK as Agnes, the first named storm of the season, sweeps across Britain on Wednesday and Thursday.
A danger to life warning has been issued by the Met Office for Wednesday and Thursday, as they warn of up to 80mph winds in some areas of the UK.
Storm Agnes follows a week of heavy downpours in parts of the UK. Britain was hit by the remnants of two hurricanes, Lee and Nigel, dumping large amounts of rain that led to flooding in London and other parts of the country.
The Met Office chief meteorologist Steve Ramsdale said: “While the precise track and depth of Storm Agnes is still being determined, there’s a high likelihood of wind gusts around 50 to 60mph for some inland areas. Exposed coastal areas could see gusts of 65-75mph with a small chance of a few places seeing around 80mph.
“As well as some very strong winds for many, Storm Agnes will also bring some heavy rain, with the highest totals more likely in Scotland, northern England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Around 60mm of rain is possible in a few places over high ground in Scotland.”
Athena Stavrou25 September 2023 12:06
Storm Agnes to bring ‘disruptive winds’ to UK, says Met Office
Storm Agnes will bring “disruptive winds” to the UK, the Met Office has said.
In a tweet, the Met Office said: “A powerful jet stream will send #StormAgnes[3] across the Atlantic Ocean towards the UK As #Agnes[4] crosses onto the northern side of the jet stream, it will rapidly deepen and bring some disruptive winds to parts of the UK.”
Martha Mchardy25 September 2023 19:00
How did Agnes get her name?
Storm Agnes is the first named storm of the storm naming season, which runs from September to August the following year.
In the UK, a decision to name a storm is based on strength of winds and the resulting impacts. The decision is made by the chief meteorologist at the Met Office in collaboration with other weather organisations in northern Europe.
The Met Office, in partnership with Met Éireann (Irish Met Office) and The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI), announced a new list of storm names for this years storm naming season. The Met Office say that naming storms helps to communicate the risks of severe weather.
It was decided that Agnes, Babet and Ciarán will be the first three named storms.
Agnes is the officially the UK’s first named storm of the storm naming season
(PA)
Martha Mchardy25 September 2023 18:00
Predicted path of Storm Agnes
As Storm Agnes makes it’s way across the Atlantic Ocean to the UK, the map below shows it’s predicted path.
Athena Stavrou25 September 2023 17:00
When will Agnes subside?
Storm Agnes’s influence on UK weather is expected to diminish later on Thursday as it weakens and moves further north.
The Met Office say that following that system, rain will move into southern areas late on Thursday and into Friday, with some heavy bursts possible for some areas of England and Wales.
However, Britons can expect a period of “more settled weather” by the weekend, though some showers could continue in northern and western areas for “a time”, according to the forecasters.
Athena Stavrou25 September 2023 16:00
Limited time for recovery as UK faces storm Agnes a week after Hurricane Nigel and Lee wrecked havoc
Britons will have little time to recover from last week’s bad weather, as Storm Agnes is set to cause delays and power cuts less a week after Hurricane Nigel and Lee turned roads into rivers.
Last week, torrential rain across London[9] left streets flooded with firefighters[10] working tirelessly throughout Wednesday evening to respond to calls.
One social media user joked she “wasn’t sure whether to run or swim” around the streets of London, while another compared it to “monsoon weather” in Croydon.
Now the UK is preparing to deal with yet another spell of extreme weather just one week later, as storm Agnes is due to arrive on Wednesday.
Take a look at how the UK dealt with last week’s weather:
Athena Stavrou25 September 2023 15:30
80mph winds predicted this week
The Met Office has said that some parts of the UK could see wind speeds of up to 80mph later this week.
They said that there’s a “high likelihood” that wind gusts could reach 50 to 60mph for some inland areas while exposed coastal areas could see speeds of 65-75 mph.
Met Office Chief Meteorologist Steve Ramsdale said there was a “small chance” some places would see speeds of 80 mph.
Some coastal areas could see wind speeds of up to 80mph later this week
(AFP via Getty Images)
Athena Stavrou25 September 2023 15:00
Flooding “likely” in some parts of the UK later this week
The Met Office has issued yellow rain warnings for some areas of the UK and warns flooding is “likely”.
The warning was issued for areas across Scotland including the Strathclyde, Grampian, Lothian Borders and Tayside & Fife regions for Wednesday and Thursday.
According to the forecaster, flooding of a few homes and businesses is “likely” and some bus and train services would “probably” be affected.
Athena Stavrou25 September 2023 14:30
Satellite map shows storm Agnes’ projected path
A satellite map has shown the predicted path for Storm Agnes as it makes it’s way across the north Atlantic.
The maps show both the projected wind and rain forecasts for the coming days.
Athena Stavrou25 September 2023 14:00
Areas across the UK issued yellow weather warning
The Met Office have issued yellow weather warnings for large areas across the UK.
The map shows the areas affected by the wind warning, which could see a “small chance of injuries and danger to life”, according to the forecaster.
Longer journey times are likely, or cancellations as road, rail, air and ferry services are affected. Some roads and bridges are likely to close.
(Met Office/screengrab)
Athena Stavrou25 September 2023 13:20
References
- ^ 1695639986 (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ 1695664855 (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ #StormAgnes (twitter.com)
- ^ #Agnes (twitter.com)
- ^ 1695661250 (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ 1695657650 (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ 1695654042 (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ 1695652242 (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ London (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ firefighters (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ 1695650442 (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ 1695648642 (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ 1695646842 (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ 1695644442 (www.independent.co.uk)