The Met Office has issued fresh amber and yellow weather warnings when the newly named Storm Chandra gets set to batter the UK tomorrow (January 27)
Brits are preparing for a deluge of rain and strong winds as Storm Chandra unleashes its wrath across the UK. The Met Office has issued amber and yellow warnings for those in the storm’s path, warning that power supplies and travel may be disrupted.
There could also be a “danger to life” as strong winds and heavy rain will cause chaos on Monday night and Tuesday. A deep area of low pressure, named Storm Chandra, will bring a further spell of wet and windy conditions later Monday and into Tuesday.
Gusty winds will impact the Isles of Scilly, western Cornwall and southwest Wales before moving north up the Irish Sea where eastern parts of Northern Ireland will see impactful easterly winds through Tuesday.
An Amber warning for wind has been issued for eastern Northern Ireland. Gusts of 60-70mph are likely widely within the Amber warning area, with 75mph gusts possible in coastal locations.
Easterly winds of this strength are unusual and are likely to be impactful. A separate Yellow warning covers Cornwall, southwestern Wales and parts of northern Devon.
Heavy rain will also be a hazard as it falls on sensitive areas that have already seen persistent wet weather in recent days, this could lead to some flooding impacts. An Amber warning for rain has been issued for south Devon, much of Dorset, southern Somerset and southeast Cornwall where 30-50mm of rain could fall widely, with up to 60-80mm over higher ground of south Dartmoor.
Further north, as precipitation encounters colder air it will fall as hill snow on the northern edge of the system. Yellow warnings for snow have been issued for Scotland and northern England where 2-5cm could fall widely within the warning areas and as much as 10-20cm could accumulate at elevations over 500 metres.
Met Office Chief Forecaster, Paul Gundersen, said: “Storm Chandra will bring a range of hazards to the UK through Monday night and Tuesday. Initially strong winds will impact the Isles of Scilly, western Cornwall and southwest Wales which are still vulnerable after Storm Goretti, gusts of 70 to 80mph are possible here. Heavy rain is an additional hazard as it falls on saturated ground in Dorset and southern parts of Devon, Somerset and Cornwall.
“As Chandra interacts with colder air further north snow becomes a hazard, with 10-20cm of snow possibly accumulating over higher ground in the Pennines, southern Scotland and the Highlands. With a complex spell of weather, its important people stay up to date with the forecast and any warnings in your area.”
Yellow warnings cover parts of East Midlands, North East England, North West England, SW Scotland, Lothian Borders, Strathclyde, West Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber.
Heavy rain will soak the regions. The showers are projected to arrive across the areas on Tuesday at around midnight, and it will last until 5pm.
The Yellow warning for rain was announced at 10:17am on Monday, January 26.
A Met Office forecast said: “Outbreaks of rain will spread northwards on Monday night into Tuesday, falling as snow on high ground. Rainfall accumulations of 20-30mm are likely fairly widely with 40-50mm possible in places.
“Totals may accumulate fairly quickly in parts of the southern Pennines and southwest Scotland, which could see accumulations of 20mm in a 3 hour period.
“Whilst accumulating snow is unlikely at low-levels, there will be a sharp increase in snow depths with elevation, with the potential for 2-5 cm in places above about 300m, 5-10 cm above 400m, and 10-20 cm above 500m.
“This may impact some high-level routes, with drifting possible in rather brisk southeasterly winds. Strong, gusty winds, especially to the west of hills, may exacerbate the potential for transport disruption. Snow may transition back to rain on some hills as slightly milder air arrives the south.”
The Met Office has three categories of weather warning, depending on the likely impact of severe weather and also how likely it is to strike in a particular area.A yellow warning is issued when weather conditions are expected to disrupt travel and traffic and may impact on daily routines but are not likely to pose a risk to life or property.
An amber warning is more severe and advises people to think about changing their plans to minimise the risk.
Full list of local areas affected by amber warnings
South West England
- Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole
- Cornwall
- Devon
- Dorset
- Plymouth
- Somerset
- Torbay
Full list of local areas affected by yellow warnings
East Midlands
- Derbyshire
North East England
- Durham
- Northumberland
North West England
- Cheshire East
- Cumbria
- Greater Manchester
- Lancashire
SW Scotland, Lothian Borders
- Dumfries and Galloway
- East Lothian
- Edinburgh
- Midlothian Council
- Scottish Borders
- West Lothian
Strathclyde
- East Ayrshire
- South Ayrshire
- South Lanarkshire
West Midlands
- Staffordshire
Yorkshire and Humber
- North Yorkshire
- South Yorkshire
- West Yorkshire
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