Strong winds and heavy rain set for Cov as Storm Debi heads to W …

Coventry and Warwickshire will face strong winds and heavy rain as more miserable weather is dumped upon us. The Met Office is predicting winds up to 40mph and periods of heavy rain as Storm Debi heads to the West Midlands.

The storm is expected to move across Ireland and northern England on Monday. The Met Office says there is a chance of very strong westerly winds developing along Irish Sea coasts of Wales and northwest England on Monday morning.

It is then set to extend inland during day, before slowly easing later. The weather will be gloomy here, but some areas of the West Midlands and the UK will fare worse than others.

There is a chance of 60-65 mph gusts developing inland and 70-80 mph around coasts, and over some higher ground, such as the Pennines. Now warnings are being issued about the possible impact shortly after Storm Ciaran caused havoc in Britain and Ireland.

The Met Office says the storm will develop partly due to a very strong jet stream crossing the Atlantic. The core of the jet stream is currently located to the south of the UK.

The Met Office website states ^[2]: "This strong jet stream is responsible for the very unsettled period of weather we are currently experiencing. Further areas of low pressure may develop and affect the UK during the coming week.

"Storm Debi is the fourth storm named as part of the 2023/2024 storm-naming initiative involving the Met Office, Met Éireann and KNMI, the Dutch national met service."

Jason Kelly, Chief Meteorologist with the Met Office, said: “Storm Debi will develop quickly and bring potentially very strong and damaging winds to parts of the Republic of Ireland, which is why Met Éireann has decided to name the system. The strongest winds are expected to affect parts of the Republic of Ireland early on Monday, possibly coinciding with the morning commute, before then affecting parts of north Wales and northern England into the afternoon.

"Whilst the very strongest winds will have eased somewhat before reaching the UK, we are still expecting some significant impacts and a wind warning has been issued. Additionally, Debi will bring a period of heavy rain to Northern Ireland for which a combined wind and rain warning has been issued.”

A still of the weather map from the Met Office showing the level of rain set to fall at 3.30am on Monday. Areas in the west of the UK with yellow patches will face the worst rain at that time. (Image: Met Office)

Storm Debi is set to hit Staffordshire, Shropshire and Stoke ^[3] on Trent in our region. The Met Office advice is that there could be a danger to life from flying debris. It also warns that there could be some damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs.

Furthermore, it says road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected, and longer journey times and cancellations are possible. It also warns some roads and bridges may shut.

On top of this, power cuts are a possibility, with the potential to affect mobile phone coverage and other services. For those in coastal areas, the Met Office also warns there is a risk of injuries, and it says danger to life could occur from large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties.

The Met Office forecast for Coventry and Warwickshire

Today:

Rain moving northeastwards through the morning, helping to clear any patchy frost and fog. Rain easing for a time before turning heavy again with winds strengthening during the afternoon. Heaviest rain moving northeastwards by the evening, with clearer spells developing Maximum temperature 9 °C.

Tonight:

Rain moving away to the northeast leaving clearer spells for a time. Winds turning lighter before more rain, heavy at times, sweeps across the region from the southwest overnight. Minimum temperature 6 °C.

Monday:

Cloudy and wet to start, with heavy rain moving northeastwards. Winds strengthening through the morning and remaining strong through the afternoon, before easing into the evening. Milder than previous days. Maximum temperature 14 °C.

Outlook for Tuesday to Thursday:

Remaining unsettled with blustery showers, heavy and thundery on Tuesday. Drier for a time on Wednesday with further rain possible later, followed by showers on Thursday. Often breezy.

References

^{^} Met Office warns of 'unsettled' weather as it responds to UK snow forecast next week (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
^{^} Met Office website states (www.metoffice.gov.uk)
^{^} Stoke (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
^{^} here (data.reachplc.com)
^{^} Coventry (www.coventrytelegraph.net)