The Met Office has issued an extremely rare red wind alert for parts of the UK, warning of “danger to life” as gales as strong as 90mph are set to batter the UK.
The weather office has said that a “period of extremely strong winds” will develop as the weekend begins and Storm Darragh hits the country. The alert comes into effect at 3am on Saturday morning and lasting until 11am.
The alert, which is coloured red due to its high likelihood and high impact, covers large chunks of Wales and swathes of South West England.
In Wales, the warning covers Bridgend, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Pembrokeshire, Swansea, and Vale of Glamorgan.
A new red wind alert has been issued by the Met Office
Met Office
Whilst in England, Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, Devon, North Somerset, Somerset, and South Gloucestershire have been placed under the red alert.
Issuing the warning, the Met Office said: “A period of extremely strong winds will develop during the early hours of Saturday morning as Storm Darragh moves across the Irish Sea. Gusts of 90 mph or more are possible over coasts and hills of west and south Wales, as well as funnelling through the Bristol Channel with some very large waves on exposed beaches.
“The strongest winds will begin to ease from late morning, though it will remain very windy with Amber wind warnings still in force until the evening.”
The Met Office has advised motorists not to drive in these “dangerous” conditions, stating that it will not be safe.
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Winds of up to 90mph are expected to hit parts of Britain in the early hours of Saturday morning
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It told Britons affected by the warning to stay indoors where they can, and make sure to secure any loose items outside their homes.
A separate red warning for wind has also been issued by the Irish meteorological service, Met Eireann.
Red weather warnings are the most serious type of warning. Weather offices only issues them when meteorologists believe that potentially life-threatening weather is expected.
Alongside the red alert on Saturday, six other warnings are active across the UK.
A man walks along The Promenade New Brighton in Liverpool on December 5, ahead of Storm Darragh
PA
Wind, rain, and snow alerts are all in place, ranging from Aberdeen to Land’s End in western Cornwall.
Storm Darragh is expected to bring ferocious winds and heavy rain on Friday afternoon and into the weekend, with 98 flood warnings currently active
The Environment Agency (EA) said it is carefully monitoring the progress of the storm ahead of the weekend.
Flood duty manager at the EA Katharine Smith said: “EA teams are out on the ground and will support local authorities in responding to surface water flooding. We urge people not to drive though flood water – it is often deeper than it looks and just 30cm of flowing water is enough to float your car.”
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