Parts of Wales are about to get very windy as the Met Office has updated its two yellow weather warnings for Wales for Tuesday and Wednesday. The two warnings for high wind were issued following a mild Easter weekend and have since been altered to reflect a higher chance of larger areas of Wales set to be battered by high winds, with coastal areas predicted to have notably worse weather.
Even in areas not covered by the warning, winds will reach speeds upwards of 40mph in the next couple of days as the Met Office warns transport and power could be disrupted. In areas covered by the warnings, 53mph winds are expected to hit coastal towns and cities during a cloudy and drizzly couple of days - and ITV's Ruth Dodsworth has predicted 2-3cm of snow on the "highest hills," saying there will be "no disruption" but it will feel "bitterly cold" on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Weatherman Derek Brockway says it'll feel "more like winter" on Wednesday in Wales, but "more like spring" afterwards as a "soft heatwave" has been predicted towards the end of the month. For now, it will be wet and windy - the Met Office predicts: "Largely dry to start though heavy rain and strong winds from around midday with gales, locally severe, likely around coasts. Feeling colder than of late, especially in exposed areas. Maximum temperature 11 °C."
Here is the hour by hour forecast for the two days covered by yellow warnings, courtesy of the Met Office:
Tuesday 3pm
The first of two yellow weather warnings will hit the west coast of Wales at 3pm, with the Met Office warning of: "A spell of strong winds later Tuesday afternoon and evening bringing the potential for some disruption."
The warning initially covered most parts of north, south and west Wales (as well as Belfast and parts of the north west and south west of England) but the area covered by the warning has since been shrunk to include most of Pembrokeshire, the west of Ceredigion and Gwynedd, and all of Anglesey (and the north west of England and south west of Scotland). The Met Office says to expect the following in affected areas:
- Some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport, and bus and train services being affected
- Delays for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges
- Some short term loss of power and other services
- Likely that some coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities will be affected by spray and/or large waves
Expect rain across Wales in the afternoon after a mostly sunny morning, with a >95% chance of precipitation in south and north Wales from 3pm, a 50% chance in central Powys and an 80% chance in Aberystwyth. The temperature will be around 8° across Wales in this part of the afternoon.
In Haverfordwest and Bangor, wind from the south and south west will reach up to 49mph and 36mph respectively, increasing further in the evening.
Tuesday 6pm
The weather warning continues into the evening so expect the strong winds to continue, picking up to 51mph in the north west and 49mph in the south west. Conditions will remain largely the same with rain and 9-10° weather in Cardiff, Swansea and Newport. Further west, a bit of sun might emerge in Carmarthen, with the chance of rain dropping to just 10% by 8pm.
In Newtown, unaffected by the weather warning, conditions will worsen with the chance of rain increasing from 6pm and into the evening. Across Wales, temperatures will range from around 3° to 11°. Winds from the south and south west will reach up to 49mph in Bangor, 39mph in Cardiff, and 41mph in Powys. At the westernmost tip of Wales in St David's, the winds from the west and south west will get to 57mph.
Tuesday 9pm
The rain in parts of south Wales will let up by 9pm, with a drier few hours in south Wales ahead of a mild night. Expect dry conditions in the west tooo, with a cloudy but dry night in Carmarthen - but not in Aberystwyth, where the rain will likely continue.
Further north, there is a higher chance of rain (60% in Newtown at 9pm and 60% in Bangor at 10pm). The weather warning continues into the night, too. The Met Office says to expect: "Rain spreading eastwards into the evening with blustery showers following behind, which may be wintry over hills," and "strong winds remaining, with gales at times around coasts and exposed western areas. Minimum temperature 4 °C."
The first weather warning finishes at 11pm although strong winds will continue.
Wednesday midnight
Temperatures will remain at a steady 4-7° across Wales. The strong winds will continue but die down to 24mph in Powys and similar speeds across parts of south Wales (although stronger in Swansea, still at around 34mph).
In west Wales, winds will still reach speeds of up to 41mph as the rain continues with a 60% chance of precipitation, higher than in the north and south where it will likely stay dry.
Wednesday 3am
Wind speeds will remain high ahead of the second weather warning coming into force. In some areas of west Wales, wind speeds will drop below 30mph before increasing again on Wednesday morning, and there's a 40-50% chance of a drizzly few hours overnight across south and west Wales.
For Wednesday overall, the Met Office predicts: "Blustery showers, falling as snow over hills, with the risk of hail and thunder. Strong winds remaining, with a further risk of severe gales in the west during the afternoon. Maximum temperature 10 °C."
Wednesday 6am
A second weather warning will come in at 6am until 8pm for "a swathe of strong winds potentially bringing some disruption on Wednesday," causing similar disruption to the first bout of strong winds. This warning covers the south west of Wales, including Pembrokeshire and Swansea, as well as large parts of Carmarthenshire and the southern coast including Bridgend and Cardiff.
The Met Office said the warning was updated to extend the area affected and reflect the "impact likelihood" being increased. The extension added Cardiff to the area, as well as the whole southern coast of England.
Areas north and east of Cardiff including Newport and Merthyr Tydfil are not included in the warning. Winds will reach up to 41mph in Swansea and 31mph in Cardiff, and will become stronger later in the morning.
The chances of rain in Swansea sit at around 40% in the early morning and reach similar levels in Cardiff and Newport ahead of a rainy morning. In the north, Bangor and Anglesey have only a 10% chance of rain. Temperatures will sit at around 5-6° across most parts of Wales.
Wednesday 9am
The wind will get more intense from 9am, reaching speeds of up to 53mph at 10am in Swansea and 47mph in Carmarthen. Expect drizzle to return in Cardiff where the chance of rain reaches up to 70% at 11am, and 60% in Swansea at 10am. The picture across Powys is similar, and rain is near-certain in Aberystwyth, Carmarthen, Bangor and on Anglesey.
Temperatures across Wales will range from around 4° to 8° in the morning - colder in the north.
Wednesday midday
Strong winds will continue into the day on Wednesday, with speeds of 47mph in Swansea, 45mph in Cardiff and 40mph in Carmarthen. Even in areas unaffected by the warning, wind speeds will be high - up to 32mph in Bangor and Newtown.
The morning's rain will continue in most places, with sun starting to poke through ahead of a cloudier afternoon.
Wednesday 3pm
Winds in areas affected by the yellow warning will continue from 3pm, coming more from the west and north west in Swansea and Carmarthen at speeds of up to 46mph. Most of Wales will see chances of rain upwards of 50%, reaching 70% at 4pm in Cardiff and 60% in Newtown as the afternoon gets cloudier, with temperatures generally remaining at 8° and lower.
Wednesday 6pm
Wednesday evening will see winds start to slowly dip, remaining well above 30mph in most affected areas. The rain is expected to stop as temperatures remain at a mild 9° in many areas. Chances of rain across Powys are higher than in south Wales, at 80% at 6pm in Newtown.
The weather warning ends at 8pm but strong winds will continue.
Wednesday 9pm
Wind speeds will drop following the end of the yellow warning, and by 11pm are predicted to be 34mph in Carmarthen, 36mph in St David's and 33mph in Swansea. Further east in Cardiff, winds will drop from 38mph to 35mph but will remain at 38mph in Aberystwyth and 35mph further north in Bangor.
Temperatures will stay mild overnight at around 7°, with a low chance of rain in most parts of Wales
Thursday midnight and morning
The wind will continue to slowly die down in the early hours of Thursday as speeds in the affected area decrease from the mid-30mph range to below 20mph. It will remain dry and mild across most of Wales with temperatures upwards of 6° overnight.
Looking forward from Thursday to Saturday, the Met Office says: "After an unsettled week, some calmer weather on its way into the weekend. Sunny spells and showers on Thursday and Friday with easing winds. Largely dry and cloudy on Saturday."
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