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Bristol Post
Bristol Post
National
Shannon Brown

Storm Noa: Planes struggle to land at Bristol airport in strong wind gusts

Planes at Bristol Airport have been filmed struggling to land as strong winds hit the region this week. The Met Office has issued two yellow weather warnings for strong winds across the South, South West, and Wales after 68mph winds closed the Severn Bridge on Wednesday morning.

In a video, shared by YouTube channel Aviation Hunters, planes battled winds of to 60 mph with strong crosswinds during bad weather this week. Though the video was shared on Monday, April 10, heavy winds continued over the following days, culminating in a yellow weather warning which has been issued from 6am to 8pm today (April 12).

The latest warning, issued earlier on Wednesday morning, warns strong winds caused by Storm Noa could bring disruption. Road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected, with longer journey times and cancellations possible, together with possible closure of bridges.

Read more: Met Office wind warning but 'heatwave' could be on the way

According to the Met Office, planes leaving Bristol Airport during the weather warning could face windspeeds of around 40mph, with lower temperatures than seen earlier this week. The forecaster warns there will likely be delays to road, rail, and air transport for the duration.

The Met Office added that there is a possibility of some damage to buildings, with some branches blown off trees, and perhaps a few fallen trees Power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage, and Injuries could occur from large waves or flying debris.

This comes after heavy rain and strong winds have already battered the South West since Monday. Aviation Hunters showed the difficulty planes can have landing in such conditions, with some forced into steep, sloping angles in order to avoid being buffeted around.

According to the SkyScanner, aircraft are designed to fly perfectly well during high wind speeds, and flights are rarely cancelled because of strong gusts - pilots must be able to demonstrate they can fly safely in high winds before they are liscenced. What often causes a delay is a horizontal wind exceeding 40mph during take off or landing.

Crosswinds are not dangerous, and pilots are well trained in knowing when to attempt a landing and when to give up, SkyScanner stresses. It won't "bring your plane down", but is more likely to delay a trip.

High wind speeds are expected to continue throughout the night and into Thursday, before finally gusts finally fall below 20mph over the course of Thursday evening.

South West forecast this week

Today:

Showers merging into longer periods of rain with heavy bursts. Hail and thunder are possible in places. A drier end to the day with some sunshine, especially in the west. Very windy with severe gales on coasts. Feeling unseasonably cold. Maximum temperature 11 °C.

Tonight:

Staying windy this evening, but gales gradually becoming confined to coasts. Turning much drier with long clear periods and becoming chilly. Further showers, possibly heavy returning to western areas later. Minimum temperature 5 °C.

Thursday:

A drier and brighter day for most with sunny spells. Scattered showers developing, these turning locally heavy, but some places staying dry. Feeling a little warmer with much lighter winds. Maximum temperature 12 °C.

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