A new bout of extreme weather is on its way, days after parts of the UK and Ireland were left devastated by Hurricane Ophelia.
A low pressure system has been forecasted which looks set to bring gale force winds and heavy rain in its wake, as it sweeps across the UK and Ireland.
The storm is set to hit this Saturday and has not yet been named as forecasters are still unsure as to how extreme it’ll be.
Storms are named only if they require The Met Office and Met Éirann to put forward either an amber or red weather warning or flood alert and if this one is given a name, it is expected be christened ‘Storm Brian’.
The main areas of risk are the southern and western parts of the UK, as is usually the case with such storms with coastal areas expected to be the most impacted.
Speaking with the Daily Express, The Weather Company Forecaster Dave Reynolds issued the following warning:
We expect winds exceeding 50 mph widely within the warning area and are expected to coincide with high tides, leading to locally dangerous conditions.
Some coastal routes and communities are likely to be affected by large waves, with potential for flooding of properties.
Some transport disruption is likely across the warning area, with delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport as well as short term loss of power and other services also possible.
According to Manchester Evening News, a spokesperson for The Weather Channel gave the following statement:
A further deep area of low pressure, likely to be the next named storm of the season, is forecast to track from the south-west of Ireland and into the Irish sea, with anti-clockwise winds.
These will be moderate to fresh, but strong to gale force on coasts.
There’ll be widespread heavy rain in Scotland, Northern Ireland and western Britain, with cloud and patchy rain elsewhere.
Maximum temperatures will be in the low to mid teens.
The recent Hurricane Ophelia proved to be tragic, claiming the lives of three people.
33-year-old Fintan Goss, 58-year-old Clare O’Neill and 31-year-old Michael Pyke all died during the storm in separate events connected with falling trees.
You can watch a news report on the devastation brought by Hurricane Ophelia below:
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Many thousands of people in Ireland were left without power or water due to severe weather damage.
Category Three Hurricane Ophelia has struck thirty years after the Great Storm of 1987, which led to the deaths of dozens of people.
The Met Office is monitoring the new situation. Information continues to be released as available.
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.