Storm Eunice: Amber weather alert active for Flintshire from 5am Friday

The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning with winds gusts of up to 70mph in Flintshire on Friday.

A yellow alert had been issued ahead of Storm Eunice that has been upgraded to amber on Wednesday,

The UK’s official weather service has said this morning the amber alert is active from 5am through 9pm on Friday.

The Met Office website states: “Extremely strong winds are expected to develop over southwest England early on Friday, before spreading north and east during the day. Inland wind gusts widely in the 60-70 mph range but up to 80 mph in a few places.”

“Around coasts of west Wales and southwest England, gusts of 80 to 90 mph are possible. Winds are expected to ease across western areas through the afternoon, and eastern areas during the evening.”

There are three types of colour warnings: yellow, amber and red.

The colour of the warning is dependent on the impact the weather could have and how likely those impacts are.

Yellow denotes the mildest alert level, while red is the most critical.

A rare red warning has been issued for South Wales and the South West of England.

The latest Netweather forecast states: “Wind gusts of 60 to70mph are likely widely inland across England and Wales south of a line from Manchester to Humber, across south Wales, south Midlands, southern England and East Anglia UKMO shows gusts between 70 to 80mph between 9am and 3pm.”

“Across northern coasts of Cornwall, Devon, the Bristol Channel and southern coasts of south Wales gusts between 80 to 100mph.”

This is what the Met Office says about Friday’s amber warning:

“Storm Eunice may cause significant disruption due to extremely strong winds on Friday.”

What to expect:

• There is a good chance that flying debris could result in a danger to life
• Damage to buildings and homes is likely, with roofs blown off and power lines brought down
• Roads, bridges and railway lines are likely to close, with delays and cancellations to bus, train, ferry services and flights
• There is a good chance that power cuts, possibly prolonged, could occur and possibly affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage
• Large waves are likely and beach material is likely to be thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties
• It is likely there will be falling branches and some uprooted trees

The wider Amber Warning area highlights the ongoing risk of high impacts such as disruption to power, travel and other services. Damage is also likely for buildings and trees, with beach material being thrown providing another risk near coastlines.

The warnings reflect the expected track of Storm Eunice eastwards across the central portion of the UK, with the strongest winds expected to the south of Eunice.

On the northern flank of Storm Eunice, there’s a risk of snow for some in Northern Ireland, northern England and southern Scotland. A Yellow Warning has been issued for snow, highlighting possible blizzard conditions for these areas. Much of the snow will be confined to the high ground within the warning areas, with up to 20cm possible in the Pennines. There remains a risk of some snow to lower ground, although with less significant accumulations.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist Frank Saunders said: “After the impacts from Storm Dudley for many on Wednesday, Storm Eunice will bring damaging gusts in what could be one of the most impactful storms to affect southern and central parts of the UK for a few years.”

“The red warning area indicates a significant danger to life as extremely strong winds provide the potential for damage to structures and flying debris. Although the most exposed coastal areas in the south and west could see gusts in excess of 90mph, winds will remain notably strong further inland, with gusts of between 70-80mph for most within the amber warning area.”

Katharine Smith, Environment Agency Flood Duty Manager, said: “Strong winds could bring coastal flooding to parts of the west, southwest and south coast of England, as well as the tidal River Severn, in the early hours of Friday morning. This is due to Storm Eunice resulting in high waves and potential storm surge coinciding with the start of a period of spring tides.

“You can check your flood risk, sign up for free flood warnings and keep up to date with the latest situation at https://www.gov.uk/check-flood-risk, call Floodline on 0345 988 1188 or follow @EnvAgency on Twitter for the latest flood updates.”‎

National Highways Head of Road Safety, Jeremy Phillips, said: “We’re encouraging drivers to check the latest weather and travel conditions before setting off on journeys and consider if their journey is necessary and can be delayed until conditions improve. If you do intend to travel, then plan your trip and take extra care, allowing more time for your journey.

“In high winds, there’s a particular risk to lorries, caravans and motorbikes so we’d advise drivers of these vehicles to slow down.

“Drivers of other vehicles should be aware of sudden gusts of wind which can affect handling and braking, and give high-sided vehicles, caravans, and motorbikes plenty of space. In the event of persistent high winds we may need to close bridges to traffic for a period, so please be alert for warnings of closures and follow signed diversion routes.”

People should make preparations, secure garden furniture and bins, avoid parking near trees and remain cautious.

For more information on how to prepare for severe weather, please visit our WeatherReady advice.