The Met Office has issued a warning that Storm Agnes, poised to unleash 80mph winds and torrential rain, could present a “danger to life” in some regions of the UK as it approaches on Wednesday.
Forecasters have identified northern parts of the UK as the most vulnerable to the storm’s impact, as it makes its way across the Atlantic and over Ireland.
Storm Agnes is expected to bring strong winds to large part of the UK, including south-west England, north-west and north-east England, as well as parts of Scotland.
This storm follows closely on the heels of the remnants of Hurricane Nigel and Hurricane Lee, which wreaked havoc across the UK last week, causing widespread heavy rain and significant flooding.
Craig Snell, a forecaster at the Met Office, said the need for vigilance, saying, “We are keeping a very close eye on things. We’ve got a very active jet stream across the Atlantic, which is the breeding ground for potentially deep areas of low pressure.”
He continued to say that one area the Met Office is closely monitoring is the one moving towards the UK on Wednesday. It has the potential to become a deep weather system as it approaches our region.
“We could potentially see some very heavy rain and also some very strong winds. Some uncertainty on this at this stage, so we are keeping a very close eye on it. The main advice at the moment is to keep a very close eye on the forecast.”
The Met Office also cautioned, “There is a small chance that injuries and danger to life could occur from large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts.”
“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. While there is some uncertainty regarding the exact path and depth of the low, the most likely scenario currently predicts widespread gusts of 50 to 60 mph affecting inland areas, possibly even stronger locally in hilly regions of the north.”
Coastal areas along the Irish Sea could experience gusts of 65 to 75 mph, with a slight possibility of gusts reaching 80 mph on the most exposed coastlines and headlands.
