Britons have been told to brace for even stronger winds than previously thought on Sunday, with the Met Office imposing a rare amber wind warning.
Storm Ashley, currently bearing down on the UK from the Atlantic, was already set to lash every one of the Home Nations with high winds from the weekend into Monday.
But now, the amber warning – as well as an extension of the existing yellow warning – warns of the onset of “a spell of very strong winds”, the Met Office has said.
Forecasters have told those in the affected regions to prepare for disruption, including damage to buildings, power cuts, road closures, mobile phone coverage outages, and dangerous conditions at beaches and coastal areas.
The new amber warning warns of the onset of “a spell of very strong winds”, the Met Office has said
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The Met Office now says that “injuries and danger to life is likely” around the sea – with those in the west of Scotland given the strongest warnings.
It adds: “Storm Ashley will bring a period of strong winds to much of the west of Scotland on Sunday and into Monday, with strongest winds expected within the amber warning area.
“Parts of western Scotland are likely to see gusts of 70-80 mph at times on Sunday afternoon, before winds ease through the evening and overnight.
“The winds coincide with high spring tides and large waves which may lead to a greater risk of disruption along coasts.”
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Dangerous conditions are likely at beaches and coastal areas, forecasters say
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The extended yellow warning now stretches as far south as the South Wales coast – and lasts from 3am on Sunday to 9am on Monday.
Meanwhile, the amber wind warning covers a 15-hour period from 9am to midnight on Sunday.
The Met Office says the warning means the storm’s likelihood and impact are both rated medium-to-high – and also warns Britons to stay “prepared for weather warnings to change quickly”.
As well as exercising extra vigilance over road closures and conditions outside, meteorologists have said those in the affected areas should also “prepare to protect your property and people from injury” and “check for loose items outside your home”.
Those in affected areas should brace for gusts of up to 80mph
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After the storm was named, the Met Office’s deputy chief meteorologist Tony Wisson said: “Storm Ashley will bring strong winds for most of the UK on Sunday before it clears on Monday, with a chance of some disruption across parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, northwest England and west Wales.
“A period of especially strong winds is expected on Sunday afternoon and evening in western Scotland, where gusts could potentially reach 70-80mph in exposed areas – and an amber warning for winds has been issued here.
“More generally, 50-60mph are possible in some inland areas in other parts of the warning area, especially Northern Ireland and western Scotland, and perhaps up to 60-70 mph along exposed coasts and hills.
“These strong winds in conjunction with high spring tides, may cause some disruption.”
Gusts could potentially reach 70-80mph in exposed areas
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Transport Scotland’s head of transport resilience, Ashleigh Robson, said: “Storm Ashley is set to bring widespread disruption for travel on Sunday and into Monday.
“Passengers should certainly check with their operator, and with some families off enjoying the October school holidays, we would advise them to pay close attention to any cross-border travel updates too.
“The Multi Agency Response Team will be in position to take decisions, oversee the network, and advise the public and update Ministers over the weekend as the storm sweeps into parts of Scotland.”
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