Storm Lilian brings 80mph winds as Leeds Festival campers are

Britain is in for a Bank Holiday washout as Storm Lilian is set to bring heavy downpour and gusts of up to 80mph in some parts of the country. 

The Met Office has urged drivers to take care on the roads, whilst also warning revellers at Leeds Festival to secure the tents as the storm is set to batter northern parts of England and Wales. 

Two yellow weather warnings were issued for rain in south-west Scotland and the Aberdeenshire coast from 9pm on Thursday to 9am on Friday.

Gusts of up to 80mph are also expected, with travel disruption, flooding, power cuts and dangerous conditions near coastal areas likely, according to the forecaster. 

There is the possibility of thunder, while 20-30mm of rainfall is expected widely across both areas – with a chance of 40-50mm over higher ground.

Another yellow wind warning was issued in north England and Wales until 11am on this morning, with the storm widely expected to bring winds of 50-60mph to the area.

At 5am this morning, the Met Office took to X (formerly Twitter): ‘Winds are now strengthening in many areas with the strongest winds occurring during the next few hours across northern England and north Wales

‘Damaging gusts are possible in places so ensure you stay weather aware.’

It comes as Storm Lilian is already affecting roads outside of the expected regions, as the M48 Severn Bridge has been closed in both directions. 

National Highways have urged motorists to use the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge, due to the alternative being closed due to strong winds.  

Met Office forecaster Greg Dewhurst said: ‘The strongest winds are likely to start forming through the early hours initially across parts of north Wales into the Liverpool, Blackpool area, and then crossing over the Pennines and into the east and north-east England – Yorkshire, up to Northumberland before then clearing out into the North Sea.

‘So it’s really quite quick.’

Warning campers at Leeds Festival, Mr Dewhurst added: ‘The wind will pick up in that area through the night, particularly strongest towards dawn and then first thing in the morning, before then easing through the morning.

‘So there could be potentially some impacts from those strong winds, of 50 to 60mph in the area so it’s worth making sure your tents are secured.

‘There could also be disruption first thing to the transport networks for those travelling first thing.’

The storm’s is predicted to ‘wane’ by later this afternoon as it pushed away into the North Sea, with scattered showers expected to continue for the rest of the day, Mr Dixon said.   

There may be heavy downpour early Saturday, however fairly settled conditions were likely to develop across southern and eastern England and Wales.

However, parts of the north and northwest will have can expect fairly unpredictable weather moving into the weekend. 

According to the forecaster, various fronts moving in will bring more persistent rain, particularly for parts of western Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Lilian is the 12th named storm of the season – the furthest the Met Office have got through the list since it was introduced – and the first since April.

Storms are named when they have the potential to cause disruption or damage which could result in an amber or red warning, the Met Office said.

This is primarily based on impacts from strong winds but other weather types will also be considered, including rain if flood warnings are advised by national agencies, or snow.

Temperatures will reach highs of 21C on Saturday and Sunday and 23C on Monday in the South East, slightly below average for the time of year.

A New Order music concert set to take place in Cardiff on Thursday has been cancelled, with organisers citing the ‘severe winds’ and a bad weather forecast.

The RAC estimated that 19.2 million leisure trips by car would be made over the weekend, with 3.2 million on Friday alone.

This is highest since the motoring services company began recording data for the summer bank holiday in 2015.

RAC Breakdown spokeswoman Alice Simpson said the adverse weather and large volume of expected trips represented ‘a perfect storm’ for drivers.

She said: ‘Anyone driving in areas impacted by Storm Lilian should try to avoid exposed coasts and higher routes where there’s a greater chance of fallen branches and trees. It’s vital to lower your speeds and leave plenty of extra stopping distance to allow yourself time to react quickly.

‘Drivers should keep a firm grip on the steering wheel and take extra care when passing high-sided vehicles which can cause an unnerving buffeting effect when you’re suddenly hit by the wind on the other side.’

A Network Rail spokeswoman said: ‘We are closely monitoring the potential impact that the storm might have on the rail network.

‘We have teams on hand to put in appropriate measures, if necessary, to ensure that we can continue to run trains safely and as reliably as possible.’