UK weather: Met Office issues yellow wind warning as 65mph gusts forecast to batter coastline

August 03, 2023

A yellow weather warning has been issued by the Met Office as strong winds head towards the UK's coastline on Saturday.

The warning covers parts of Wales and southern England from 6am to 9pm, and says there is a risk of disruption to travel and outdoor activities.

The wind gusts could reach speeds of up to 65mph on exposed coasts and more widely around 34-40mph inland.

Alongside the "unseasonably windy conditions" will be showers and "longer spells of rain", the Met Office said.

It added: "The highest winds are likely to affect Irish Sea coastal areas from early morning, pushing gradually south and east, and spreading inland, so that by the afternoon English Channel coasts will also see some very windy conditions.

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"Widely, inland gusts of 35-40mph are possible, with a risk of 45-50 mph especially across parts of South Wales and southwest England."

Meanwhile a yellow rain warning is in place across Northern Ireland on Saturday until midday.

There is a small chance homes and businesses could be flooded and there could be difficult driving conditions, the Met Office said.

Gusts of 30-35mph are likely, while wind speeds of up to 50mph could also hit the East near coastal areas.

Met Office spokesperson Nicola Maxey said that in England and Wales the high wind speeds were the "greater concern" and could be "quite impactful" for holidaymakers camping and caravanning near the seaside.

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She said: "The low pressure system is pushing off across from the Atlantic. So, it's pushing into the west side of the UK crossing, say, from the Atlantic pushing out towards the east side as we go through Saturday and clearing by the time we reach Sunday.

"Sunday's likely to be a more showery day, not so much sunshine, there is a chance there could be some sunshine for the South and South West and in that sunshine, it'll feel warmer, but still showers around."

The warnings come after parts of northeast England were hit by between 25 and 30mm (around an inch) of rain on Wednesday, while areas in London saw around 20mm, (three quarters of an inch).

Approximately a square mile in Wembley, northwest London, was left under 1m-deep flood water, with firefighters called to rescue a man from a van and evacuate 19 people.

The Environment Agency had 21 flood alerts in England on Thursday, including in areas of Dorset, Northumberland, Suffolk and Essex.

After a wet start to the month, forecasters expect the weather to improve in the second half of next week.

Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Steven Keates said: "For the latter half of next week, there are some signals of a shift in the jet stream which may allow for high pressure to build in for southern areas of the UK, increasing the likelihood of some drier weather, at least for a time.

"However, at this range, the details are quite uncertain and there's still a chance of rain to areas further north. As always, details will become clearer with a shorter lead time."

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