Flintshire Council on standby to attend to emergencies as Storm Ciara gets set to hit the county over the weekend

Flintshire Council will have additional resources and on-call teams standing by over the weekend as Storm Ciara hits the region.

The Met Office has issued several National Severe Weather Warnings for strong winds and heavy rain brought by the storm throughout the weekend.

A yellow wind warning has been issued for north-western parts of the UK on Saturday, followed by a yellow wind warning covering the whole UK on Sunday. 

Named by the Met Office on Wednesday, Storm Ciara is currently tracking eastwards towards the UK and Ireland.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is urging people living near the coast to be prepared for possible flooding.

With the worst of the conditions expected on Sunday afternoon, NRW advises people to keep a safe distance from coastal paths, promenades, piers, and from river banks. 

Emergency response workers from NRW are already making preparations ahead of the storm, checking defences are in good working order and making sure any drainage grids and screens are clear, to reduce the risk to people and their homes. 

A flood alert is in place along the North Wales coast from the Dee estuary to the east coast of Anglesey.

[Wind speeds forecast to be between 48 and 63mph at peak on Sunday in Hawarden]

Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Frank Saunders, said:  “Storm Ciara will bring damaging winds and heavy rain across the UK this weekend and we have issued a range of severe weather warnings giving people time to prepare for potential impacts of the storm.

“Winds will increase through Saturday across Northern Ireland, Scotland, northern England and Wales, before turning very windy across the rest of UK through the early hours of Sunday morning. 

Gusts of 50 to 60 mph are expected quite widely across inland areas, with even stronger gusts of 80mph or higher along coastal areas.”

The yellow wind warning in Flintshire begins at 12am on Sunday morning and last through 11.59pm on Sunday.

Flintshire County Council’s Chief Officer for Streetscene and Transportation, Steve Jones, said:

“Following the weather warnings, Flintshire County Council will monitor conditions over the weekend.

Additional resources have been allocated and the on-call teams will be available throughout the period to attend any emergencies.

Wind speeds will be monitored, and it may be necessary to close the Flintshire Bridge.

Please contact Flintshire County Council’s Contact Centre on 01352 701234 to report any concerns.”

Storm Ciara is expected to bring a range of impacts including delays and cancellations to air, ferry and train services, damage to buildings such as tiles blown from roofs and there is a good chance power cuts may occur, as well as large coastal waves and difficult driving conditions in heavy rain.

Looking further ahead, Chief Meteorologist Frank Saunders said:  “In the wake of Storm Ciara, it’ll remain unsettled and very windy across the UK and it’ll turn colder with wintry showers and ice an additional hazard, as we head into the new week.”