In the coming hours, Britons are bracing themselves for the arrival of Storm Agnes, with meteorologists sounding the alarm over the possibility of 80mph winds causing widespread travel disruptions. A yellow weather warning has been issued, encompassing Northern Ireland, Wales, most of England, and Scotland. This alert will be in effect from 10 a.m. on September 27th until 7 a.m. on September 28th. However, weather maps suggest that the storm’s intensity will start building on Tuesday night, unleashing intense rainfall and powerful winds shortly thereafter.
Meteorologists have issued a cautionary advisory, predicting that strong winds will sweep across the country throughout Wednesday, potentially leading to disruptions and even posing a slight risk of injuries and danger to life due to flying debris. The Met Office has also cautioned that buildings could sustain damage, such as tiles being blown off roofs, due to the forceful gusts.
According to the Met Office’s website, “A deep area of low pressure is expected to approach southwest Ireland early on Wednesday and track across northern parts of the UK before clearing early Thursday. There is some uncertainty on the precise track and depth of the low; however, the most likely outcome at present is for a wide swath of 50 to 60 mph gusts to affect inland areas, perhaps locally stronger over and to the lee of hills in the north. Some Irish Sea coasts could see gusts of 65 to 75 mph, with a small chance of 80 mph gusts on the most exposed coasts and headlands.”
The Met Office plans to officially designate the weather system as Storm Agnes once it attains the potential for amber warnings. Forecaster Craig Snell stated, “We’re keeping a very close eye on it. If we feel the storm warrants being named, we will name it. Severe gales are expected, with potential impacts from wind and rain across many parts of the UK.”
Brian Gaze, a forecaster at The Weather Outlook, pointed out, “There is a real possibility Storm Agnes could arrive. Strong winds and heavy rain could lead to disruption. The best advice is to stay up to date with forecasts.”
The regions likely to bear the brunt of the storm’s fury on Wednesday include Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales, the Midlands, northern England, and southern Scotland. Nick Finnis, a meteorologist with Netweather, anticipates that it will remain windy and wet in the west on Thursday. He noted, “The low then looks to track northeast across Ireland then northern Britain on Wednesday, though the track is still uncertain this far out – it may still track further north or south. Ireland could see the worst of the strong winds with this system, models show gusts of 70-80mph – even inland. But Irish Sea coasts of mainland UK could see similar gusts while inland areas of north Wales, northern England, and southern Scotland could see 60-70mph gusts. Outbreaks of rain looks to sweep north and east across the UK ahead of this low too, followed by blustery showers, though rain could be brief towards the southeast before turning drier and sunnier.”
As for the immediate weather outlook, the forecast for today indicates that early clouds will clear from southeast England, leaving mostly dry conditions with sunny intervals and lighter winds across southern and central areas. However, the north can expect scattered showers, some of which may be heavy, along with the occasional rumble of thunder.
Tonight, showers will gradually taper off, leading to a mostly dry night for all except the Western Isles. Winds will become light in eastern England but remain breezy elsewhere.
Tuesday will see showers and prolonged periods of rain, particularly in the north, while the south may experience a mostly dry afternoon with light winds. The north can anticipate wet and windy conditions throughout the day.
Looking ahead to Wednesday through Friday, Wednesday is likely to bring disruption due to heavy rain and extremely strong winds. Although the winds may ease slightly on Thursday, unsettled weather will persist. By Friday, the situation is expected to stabilize, with more settled conditions in the south.
