UK weather - Met Office issues ‘danger to life’ warning as 80mph gales set to sweep across Britain
3 March 2019, 10:54
Storm Freya is expected to hit the UK by Sunday afternoon and could bring heavy rain and dangerous gales
Monster winds and flash floods are expected to wreak havoc today as Storm Freya hits the UK.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning and says the forceful storm could even cause "injuries and danger to life" due to 80mph gales, heavy downpours and huge waves in coastal areas of the country.
The “be aware” alert, which covers Wales and most of England, has detailed the possibility of flying debris, damage to buildings and trees, road, rail, air and ferry travel disruption, road and bridge closures, power cuts and even a loss of phone signal as the 500-mile-wide storm sweeps in from the Atlantic.
Weather Events 2019 - Storm Freya (UK) - BBC News - 1st March 2019
Met Office forecaster Emma Smith said: “Freya is bringing a real change after the warmest February on record.
“Be prepared for problems with travel including delayed trains, planes and road journeys, and the risk of coastal and river flooding in the South West.
Reports suggest strong gusts could even tip into the 90mph mark, with warnings issued for fallen trees, flying tiles and broken branches.
“Wind gusts of up to 80mph are expected, with a low chance of over 80mph, with the strongest winds moving from the South West on Sunday to the North into Monday, and even 50-60mph gusts on South East coasts.
“Snow is a risk early Monday on the Peak District, Pennines, and hills in Wales and southern Scotland.
“Freya’s air pressure is falling from 999mb at midnight Saturday to 972mb by midnight Sunday.”
Met Office forecaster Craig Snell added that Ireland and parts of Wales could be heavily affected by the storm.
“[This] is where we could see 70 to 80 miles an hour.
"The strongest winds will be limited to parts of western England and Wales, but the warning area includes parts of the Midlands and over towards Yorkshire and Lincolnshire as well.
"But they probably wont see the strongest winds until the very back-end of Sunday going into Monday morning."
The weather warning kicks in at 3pm today and is staying put until 6am on Monday morning.
