Storm Antoni - live: Met Office upgrades ‘danger to life’ warnings as flooding sees evacuations
Weather warning in place from 11am to 7pm for south west England and Wales
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The Met Office has upgraded weather warnings to amber as eight people have been evacuated from their flooded Dublin homes.
The first named storm of the year, Storm Antoni moved eastwards in Ireland as heavy rains poured down overnight into this morning.
In England and Wales, an amber warning for wind is in place from 11am to 7pm for Devon, Somerset, Dorset and Torbay, and Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Swansea.
The Met Office warned “flying debris is possible and could lead to injuries or danger to life”.
Two yellow warnings for wind and rain are also in place for large swathes of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Met Office chief meteorologist Steve Willington said: “Storm Antoni will bring some potentially disruptive weather on Saturday as it moves from west to east.
“Northern Ireland is likely to see some of the highest rainfall totals, with 40-60mm falling in some spots, but 20-30 more widely.”
Watch: Strong Storm Antoni winds hit Bibby Stockholm barge
Storm Antoni mapped: Check weather warnings in your area as UK faces wind, rain and thunderstorms
The UK is braced for torrential rain and 70mph winds today as Storm Antoni barrels towards Britain, with warnings for flooding across parts of the country.
Some areas could see as much as 60mm of rainfall on Saturday, with five warnings including wind, heavy rain and thunderstorm covering the south of England, Wales, Northern Ireland parts of Scotland.
Read more here:
Storm Antoni mapped: Weather warnings in your area as UK faces wind, rain and thunder
Five weather warnings in place for large parts of UK as Environment Agency issues 17 flood alerts
Bellowing winds up to 70mph to hit coast
Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said the storm, which is the first to be named by the Met Office this season, could see winds of up to 70mph on the coast and 60mph inland.
He said: “Storm Antoni is now tracking east into the Irish Sea and will continue to move east across England and Wales.
“With it being the holiday season and it being a Saturday there will be plenty of local events going on, (Storm Antoni) wouldn’t necessarily bring the same level of impact if it was in the winter.
“For August this is very unusual.
“Effectively the trees are in full leaf so are more susceptible to strong winds.
“Building structures, trees and temporary structures such as marquees may not well be too adequate.
“Beach debris could be thrown from waves onto coastal roads, there’s a risk of dangerous tides, riptides and power cuts.
“Most travel disruption will be from (fallen) trees and branches.”
Areas within the yellow thunderstorm warning could see 15 to 25mm of rain in under an hour and 30 to 40mm in two to three hours.
UK weather: The latest Met Office forecast
Where are the weather warnings?
There are now five weather warnings in place across large swathes of the UK.
England and Wales are most severely affected with multiple warnings for wind and rain issued for today.
Yellow weather warning for rain issued for south east England
A yellow weather warning for rain has now been issued as thunderstorms pelt down across south east England today.
Warning for drivers as winds pick up speed
The RAC and National Highways have cautioned drivers to be careful when driving through strong winds today, as the Met Office issued one yellow and two amber warnings for wind.
Watch their video here:
UK weather: When will the rain stop?
Downpours, thunderstorms and high winds and low temperatures are continuing to be forecast for parts of England and Wales this week before the wet weather will potentially let up.
Last year, the UK saw record breaking temperatures of more than 40C recorded, wildfires destroying houses and train tracks melting.
However, last month was the UK’s sixth wettest July on record.
Here are some answers on what is causing the rain and whether there is a chance that the weather will improve:
UK weather: When will the rain stop?
The west of England is likely to see more settled conditions on Friday before the downpours return.
Storm Antoni: Met Office upgrades weather warning as England set to be battered by intense winds
The Met Office has upgraded two weather warnings for wind to amber as “unseasonably” strong gusts upto 70mph hurtle towards parts of the UK.
The “danger to life” warning comes as the low-pressure weather system moves in from the Atlantic Ocean, meteorologists said, unleashing Storm Antoni across Britain.
An amber warning for wind is in place from 11am to 7pm for Devon, Somerset, Dorset and Torbay, and Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Swansea.
Strong northwesterly winds are likely to peak during the middle of the day in southwest Wales, and through the afternoon in southwest England, before easing during the evening.
Met Office upgrades Storm Antoni weather warning with 70mph winds to batter UK
‘Danger to life’ warning in place from 11am to 7pm on Saturday as travel disruption expected
How strong will the winds be as amber warning issued?
The amber warning for wind is in place from 11am to 7pm today for Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Torbay in south west England.
In Wales, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Swansea will be hit by the strong winds.
Here, the Met Office shows how strong the gales will be in miles per hour (mph).
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