Met Office issues 7 storm warnings amid 'extremely high' temperatures
Brits are set to be battered by thunderstorms and heavy rain today with the Met Office issuing seven yellow weather warnings across the UK on Wimbledon finals weekend.
As the rest of Europe endures an extreme heatwave with recorded temperatures as high as 48C, the UK is going through a period of unsettled weather.
It comes as a landslip has blocked a major railway line in south Wales caused by heavy rain and strong winds. Transport for Wales announced that all trains between Merthyr Tydfil and Abercynon would be affected due to the incident near Troedyrhiw.
And the M4 has been hit with flooding with Traffic Wales confirming junction 43 at Llandarcy was had surface water with a 30mph speed limit introduced.
A thunderstorm warning has been issued for Saturday until 11pm which covers the whole of Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland while there are also alerts in place for strong winds and heavy rain.
Gales, snow and rain to batter country today with 80mph wind gusts
Weather warnings from the Met Office (Met Office)Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said: "For the middle part of July we're seeing quite unseasonably unsettled weather. We've got quite strong winds today across southern areas where we will potentially see gusts as high as 55mph bringing some minor disruption and damage to trees, for example, particularly in South Wales and southern parts of England.
"We've also got some thunderstorms which are moving through quite quickly in the south because of the wind, but the thunderstorms in Scotland and Northern Ireland will be much slower.
"There are many outdoor events expected to take place this weekend, we do urge you, wherever you are, to keep an eye on the forecast and leave plenty of time for your journeys because the weather may well cause some disruption from either strong winds or thunder and heavy rain."
Of the weather warnings for Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland, the Met Office stated: "Thunderstorms and heavy showers bringing some disruption."
It adds: "There is a good chance driving conditions will be affected by spray, standing water and/or hail, leading to longer journey times by car and bus. Delays to train services are possible.
"Some flooding of a few homes and businesses possible, leading to some damage to buildings or structures. Probably some damage to a few buildings and structures from lightning strikes."
Thunderstorms will affect northern England and Scotland (PA)There is also a warning for powerful winds across the south of England.
"An unseasonably windy day is likely on Saturday," said the Met Office, with the "possibility of damage caused to buildings."
"Some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport are likely," it said. "Some short term loss of power and other services is possible. It’s likely that some coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities will be affected by spray and/or large waves.
"Delays for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges likely. Some damage to trees or temporary structures such as marquees, tents & inflatables, could occur."
Tips to stop windscreen freezing and prevent blades from sticking to window
The warning of high winds have meant that the Goodwood Festival of Speed has been cancelled for the “first time in its 30 year history” said organisers, due to the risk to the public.
Wimbledon organisers announced on Twitter that the ticket queue will be closed on Saturday due to the yellow weather warning of wind. Guests heading to SW19 were advised to dress "appropriately" and "come prepared for the inclement weather".
Mr Morgan said: "For Wimbledon in particular we have the women's singles final today. There is a risk of showers and potentially thunderstorms for the final today but perhaps the greatest impact will be the strength of the wind today.
The country is seeing unseasonably unsettled weather (PA)"For tomorrow's men's singles final, the winds should be quite a bit lighter but it'll still be quite noticeably breezy so you will still notice the winds through Centre Court.
"There's a drier day in prospect for Wimbledon tomorrow but I wouldn't entirely rule out a shower. I think the final gets under way around 2pm tomorrow so there is a chance of showers coming through tomorrow afternoon. There's potential for an interruption.
"As we look at a general UK perspective, it is an improved day tomorrow. The winds will be easing down. It's still breezy and there will still be showers around but we don't anticipate quite the same number of intense downpours that we'll see on Saturday. There will be some longer, sunnier intervals between showers tomorrow and it will feel a fraction warmer given that the winds will be a bit lighter.
"It stays very changeable going into the working week as well, low pressure never too far away, and that will bring showers, but compared to recent days it'll be generally a lot drier and the winds will be a lot less strong too."
In Dorset, the annual Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival has been cut short as the weekend union event was hit with "extreme adverse weather conditions".
Organisers said on Saturday: "In the interests of clarity, even though the weather is set to improve tomorrow, the rest of the festival will not be going ahead due to the logistical demands of safely resetting the site."
Of the heavy showers and thunderstorms across parts of Scotland and northern England, the Met Office added that lightning and hail is likely in places, with up to 20mm of rainfall in one hour possible, and a few places seeing 30mm within 2-3 hours.
It is going to be a day of high winds in the south of England (PA)"The heaviest showers and thunderstorms will ease from most areas through the evening, but they could linger in parts of northwest Scotland and also over the far south of Scotland and far north of England", it added.
Meanwhile in southern Europe the "Cerberus" heatwave, named by the Italian Meteorological Society after the three-headed monster from Dante's Inferno, has taken hold across holiday hotspots in the Mediterranean, with recorded temperatures as high as 48C.
For sun lovers it has been a disappointing start to July with plenty of rain and below average temperatures, that come on the back of the hottest June on record.
But researchers believe that this is only a lull and are warning future hot weather spikes could cause our buildings to "act like greenhouses" and that the country faces extreme temperatures if global warming reaches 2C.
A study conducted at the University of Oxford found, of countries with more than five million inhabitants in 2020, Switzerland and the UK would see their relative demand for people needing to cool down rise by 30%, as they would face a greater number of days with extremely high temperatures.
Dr Radhika Khosla, associate professor and leader of the Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Cooling, said: "It has huge implications for public health and all sustainable development goals, including livelihoods, infrastructure, education, poverty and food and nutrition."
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
