Storm Dudley is due to hit the UK later today, bringing with it violent wind and rain. It is the fourth named storm to hit the UK since late November 2021, with another one on the way at the end of the week.
In Bristol, winds are forecast to hit 56mph gusts by 5pm, but in parts of northern England and southern Scotland, it will be far more intense with winds due to reach around 90mph.
Alex Beresford, Bristol's envoy to Good Morning Britain, appeared on the programme this morning to talk about the weather for the day ahead. He gave all the details of what you should expect, including when 90mph gales will make landfall in Britain.
STORM DUDLEY LIVE UPDATES: Bristol to be hit by 56mph winds amid northern 'danger to life' warnings
Storm Dudley is due to arrive in the day today, and the Met Office amber warning for Scotland and the north of England reads: "Storm Dudley is expected to affect the UK on Wednesday night and Thursday bringing a period of very strong and disruptive winds. Road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected, and some roads and bridges are likely to close, leading to longer journey times and cancellations."
“Probably some fallen trees and damage to buildings such as tiles blown from roofs. There is a good chance that power cuts may occur with the potential to affect other services such as mobile phone coverage. Injuries and danger to life is likely from large waves and beach material being thrown onto coastal roads, sea fronts and properties.”
Explaining the weather conditions today, Alex Beresford said on GMB: "Here in Richmond, it is a damp and breezy start to the day, but it is here out towards the south-east which is going to get the better conditions through today. As I say, Dudley is going to hit northern parts of Britain this afternoon and we could see gusts touching around 90mph.
He continued: "And if we take a look at where the warnings are currently in place, and these could be updated as we head through the day, it will be worth just checking the Met Office website as we head through the next few hours and we've got that amber warning in place across southern parts of Scotland, maybe across the central belt as well, and also into northern parts of England. This is where we could see those gusts touching 80-90mph."
He said that wind gusts of between 60mph and 70mph will hit much of northern England, southern Scotland, and Northern Ireland between 3pm today and 6am tomorrow morning (Thursday).
However, the most violent winds, reaching between 60mph and 80mph will make landfall between 4pm and midnight tonight. They will affect most of southern Scotland and the northern tip of Northern Ireland.
Down here in Bristol, we are not affected by Met Office weather warnings today, but very strong winds are due to make landfall. Between 6am and 1pm, the clouds will blanket the Bristol area as the winds continue to pick up, although the sun could make a brief appearance. At 7am, the gusts will reach speeds of 33mph, and by 1pm, they will reach 43mph and will keep building throughout the afternoon.
At midday, the rain is forecast to return, and that will ease into scattered showers throughout the afternoon. However, the key issue today will be the high winds.
At 1pm, Bristol will see gusts of up to 43mph and that will continue to build all afternoon, reaching a peak of 56mph by 5pm. That wind will continue overnight at around 49mph, before gradually dropping down to 38mph by 6am tomorrow (Thursday) and 28mph by 11am.
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