National Severe Weather Warnings – United Kingdom

Storm-force winds batter Britain, again

The Met Office in the UK has Issued the following Warning and Assessment for Saturday – Sunday

Warning
Westerly winds will strengthen through Saturday afternoon and into the evening, bringing gusts of 50-60 mph to many parts of the warning area, and locally around 70 mph along exposed coasts.

The public should be aware of the risk of localized disruption, particularly to travel.

Chief Forecaster’s assessment
A deep area of low pressure will track east across Ireland and southern Scotland during the course of Saturday and early Sunday, bringing a spell of windy weather to many parts of the UK.

The strongest winds are expected to affect parts of southwest England and south Wales later on Saturday afternoon and during the evening, accompanied by squally heavy showers, including the risk of hail and thunder. With many trees still in leaf, the forecast wind gusts are likely to lead to some branches and trees being brought down, whilst leading to difficult driving conditions and also affecting outdoor events such as firework displays. Large waves and over-topping are also likely along some stretches of coastline.

Large tree uprooted by storm in Pendine in Carmarthenshire. Image credit: Lewis Hancox, via Bbc

High Winds and Flood Warnings

Storm-force winds gusting up to 130 km/hr have uprooted numerous trees, blocking roads and causing  difficult driving conditions in Wales, said a report.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has issued 10 flood warnings are for the coastal areas, with concerns over high tides.

High winds have knocked out power to thousands of homes in SW Britain.

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High Winds Knock Out Power to Thousands in the U.S., Canada

Meantime, back in the U.S., high winds from Halloween Storm have knocked out power to tens of thousands of customers across a vast region including parts of Ohio and  West Virginia.

In Canada, near hurricane force winds knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of Quebec residences on Friday.

Environment Canada issued a wind warning early Friday as storms uprooted trees, shattered windows, tore roofs off buildings and left more than 350,000 customers without power.

“Just north of Montreal, the Centre Laval shopping mall was evacuated Friday afternoon after severe weather sent scaffolding crashing into the building, severing a gas line in the process,” said a report.

Related Links

• Deadly Storm Prompts State of Emergency in Russia  October 30, 2013
• Storm Kills at least 15 in Northern Europe October 29, 2013
• Deadly Storm Batters Southern U.K. October 28, 2013
• Severe Weather Warning Issued for South of England  October 24, 2013

Deadly Storm Prompts State of Emergency in Russia

St. Jude Hits Northwest Russia, State of emergency Declared in Pskov 

The deadly storm reached northwestern Russia on Tuesday after wreaking havoc in several other countries in northern and northwestern Europe since early Monday, disrupting transport, power and communication lines in three northwestern Russian regions and prompting a state of emergency declaration in Pskov, said a report quoting sources from local weather agency.

Tens of thousands of people in Pskov and St. Petersburg were left without power, as the storm barreled through the region.

The storm knocked out power to about 100,000 households in Estonia and Latvia, which border Pskov Oblast.

St Jude left at least 15 people dead including seven in Germany, four in Britain, two in the Netherlands and one each in France and Denmark and knocked out power to about a million homes and business across northwestern Europe, including 750,000 customers in Britain.

Related Links

• Storm Kills at least 15 in Northern Europe October 29, 2013
• Deadly Storm Batters Southern U.K. October 28, 2013
• Severe Weather Warning Issued for South of England  October 24, 2013