Strong winds to batter New Forest and Christchurch

Strong winds are set to batter the New Forest and Christchurch tomorrow (Wednesday) as Storm Gerrit hits the UK.

The Met Office has issued a yellow alert, and winds could hit around 70mph but will likely be between 50 and 60mph.

Transport is ecpected to be affected, with delays to road, rail, air and ferries, bus and train services hit, spray and large waves at coastal routes and sea fronts, and short term power cuts possible.

The weather warning covers England’s south coast

Met Office chief meteorologist Frank Saunders said: “Storm Gerrit will run towards western UK on Wednesday and bring with it potential impacts for much of the UK.

“Winds across southern coastal areas of England will be strong, possibly peaking around 70mph on exposed coastlines, but more widely around 50-60 mph within the warning area.

“Rain is an additional hazard from Storm Gerrit, with active weather fronts leading to a wet day for many. Snow is also likely to cause problems for some northern areas: only briefly for a few upland routes across the Pennines and southern Scotland overnight and early on Wednesday, but more widely to the north of the central lowlands later in the day.

“Here around 10 to possibly 20cm of snow may affect some of the highest routes, this combining with very strong winds to lead to some difficult travel conditions. At lower levels a combination of heavy rain and very strong winds will dominate.”

Storm Gerrit will move gradually north-east late on Wednesday and into Thursday. Further unsettled weather is likely later in the week, with strong winds, rain and some upland snow.

The alert is in place from 3am to 6pm on Wednesday.