Storm Darragh’s 80mph winds spark Met Office amber ‘hazard to life’ climate warnings
Get the raincoats at the ready because Brits are about to get a thorough soaking. Storm Darrah has officially been named and is on its way, bringing with it 80mph winds and an amber ‘danger to life’ warning. It is expected to hit on Friday (December 6) and Saturday (December 7). It comes off the back of an already tumultuous period, but now Brits are being told to expect serious gales.
Today, December 5, weather warning are in place with for the Midlands, Wales, western parts of the North and Scotland as well as Northern Ireland. Northern parts of the Southwest could also be affected by the storm. Then tomorrow and Saturday more and more of the country is set to be affected. On Friday, most of the nation has been issued with yellow weather warnings with only Northern parts of Scotland expected to escape, while through the storm the heaviest rainfall expected in the northern and western parts of the warning area.
It is these areas that have been issued with the amber warning with Northern Ireland and coastal areas from southern Scotland as far south as Plymouth also due to take a battering. Warnings remain in place until Sunday.
READ MORE: UK to be pelted with snow on Saturday with the north being hit the hardest
READ MORE: UK weather maps turn blue and white as Beast from the East to batter country in days
Met Office Chief Forecaster Jason Kelly said: “Storm Darragh is an evolving system and will bring several hazards, including wind gusts of up to 70-80mph around western coasts, especially from Devon and Cornwall to southwest Scotland and Northern Ireland. Wind speeds in inland areas will be slightly reduced with maximum gusts expected to reach 60-70mph.”
(Image: WXCharts)
Neil Armstrong is a Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office and said: “A spell of strong winds will affect parts of northern Scotland from Wednesday afternoon until Thursday morning. Winds will initially be south or southeasterly, but turn westerly during Thursday morning. Gusts will reach 50-60 mph widely with 65-75mph possible in places, especially around exposed coasts.
“A band of rain will also move eastwards across the UK overnight, bringing heavy rain to most parts of the UK as it crosses the country. We expect this rain to clear the southeast of England by 7am on Thursday morning, before another spell of wet and windy weather begins.”
(Image: Met Office)
Disruption is also expected due to the storm. Dale Hipkiss, Duty Manager at National Highways, said: “If you’re planning to drive over the next few days, prepare in advance for the journey and take extra care on the roads. If weather conditions become challenging, adjust your driving behaviour to manage the conditions as safely as possible.
“It’s also a good idea for drivers to check their vehicles, such as tyres, coolant and oil levels, before heading out to reduce the risk of breakdowns.”
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.
