Brits have been warned to expect heavy flooding and power cuts as heavy rain is set to wreak havoc this weekend – sparking yellow warnings from the Met Office.
The warnings will be in place from 8am on Saturday morning to 11.59pm on Saturday night and are currently in place for Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland.
The Met Office warning reads: “Outbreaks of rain will arrive across western and southwestern parts of Scotland on Saturday morning, likely becoming persistent and heavy at times, before slowly clearing northeastwards later on Saturday evening.
“30 to 50 mm rain is likely quite widely, with up to 70 mm possible across western parts. This may lead to some flooding and disruption.”
The shocking weather follows Hurricane Gabrielle blasting the central Azores, in the North Atlantic, early on Friday morning with red weather warnings in force on the islands for torrential rain, damaging wind gusts and enormous waves.
The President of the Government of the Azores, José Manuel Bolieiro ordered the closure of public services ahead of the storm arrival saying “The absolute priority is to protect people’s lives and safety.”
It is rare for hurricanes to reach the Azores – but not unprecedented. The archipelago lies outside the region of warm tropical water which acts as their fuel.
The last hurricane to hit was Hurricane Gordon in 2012. It is much more common for tropical storms or hurricanes to reach the Azores as low pressures after they have gone through their extratropical transition. This happens most years.
The Yellow warning comes as the UK faces fine and settled day today on Friday after early morning fog cleared. Some sunny spells for most places are expected, though turning cloudier into the afternoon and increasingly breezy in the north, especially across Scotland. Temperatures around the seasonal average.
Tonight:
Rain moves in across Northern Ireland and western Scotland overnight. Elsewhere, patchy cloud with winds remaining strong in the north with the risk of some local gales.
Saturday:
Rain stays persistent across Scotland which can be heavy at times, and moves eastwards across Wales and England. Sunny spells in the far south east but cloudier elsewhere.
Outlook for Sunday to Tuesday:
Outbreaks of rain stalling over southern England on Sunday. Brighter skies to follow, with sunshine and scattered showers arriving on Monday. Tuesday remains similar with showers possible.
The Met Office have given urgent advice on what those in the affected regions should do:
“Check if your property could be at risk of flooding. If so, consider preparing a flood plan and an emergency flood kit.
“Give yourself the best chance of avoiding delays by checking road conditions if driving, or bus and train timetables, amending your travel plans if necessary.
“People cope better with power cuts when they have prepared for them in advance. It’s easy to do; consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items.
“Be prepared for weather warnings to change quickly: when a weather warning is issued, the Met Office recommends staying up to date with the weather forecast in your area.”
In their long range forecast for the UK – for Tuesday 30th September to Thursday 9th October – the Met Office says Britain there is more rain to come:
They explain: “Relatively settled conditions are likely for most parts to start the week. There will however be cloudier conditions in the northwest with outbreaks of rain and drizzle at times.
“Through the week while showers or perhaps longer spells of rain are possible for all areas at times, the wettest weather is likely to continue be focused on the northwest of the country.
“Any spells of windier weather are more likely in the northwest too. Elsewhere, there is a better chance of more prolonged fine and dry weather along with morning mist and fog patches in places.
“Later in the period the chance of deeper areas of low pressure bringing wet and windy conditions increases but this is highly uncertain. Temperatures generally around average.”
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