Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

As it happenedended

UK weather warning - live: Storm Evert to bring 55mph winds as Met Office issues thunderstorm alert

Follow for live updates

Celine Wadhera,Leonie Chao-Fong
Friday 30 July 2021 18:00 BST
Comments
UK weather: The latest Met Office forecast

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Storm Evert, the first named storm of 2021, hit southern parts of the UK overnight bringing with it costal gales, rain, and winds of up to 70mph.

Two yellow wind warnings remain in effect on Friday morning for southern England and Wales along the coast, reaching from St David’s in the west to Great Yarmouth in the east.

Gusts of up to 40 to 50mph are expected quite widely along the coast and could reach up to 55mph along the most exposed coastal areas. Strong winds are also expected to reach North Sea coastal areas during the late morning and afternoon.

The Met Office also issued a yellow thunderstorm warning for areas in the east of England, East Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber. Heavy showers, thunderstorms and torrential downpours are expected to last until late this evening.

Some areas could see up to 70mm of rain falling, increasing the risk of flooding. Driving and road conditions could become difficult, and some communities could potentially be cut off due to flooded roads. Power and other services could also be lost in some areas due to the storm.

The storm arrived as the Met Office said that the climate crisis is already evident across the UK, with the country becoming significantly hotter and wetter. Experts pointed out that from 1991 to 2020, the UK has become 0.9C warmer and 6 per cent wetter.

‘Heavy’ downpours to continue on Saturday

Heavy downpours will continue on Saturday with possible thunderstorms across central, eastern and southern England, the Met Office has said.

Storm Evert is expected to clear east Friday evening allowing central parts to become mostly dry with clear spells.

But those occasional sunny intervals will give way to showers on Saturday, becoming heavy and thundery across eastern, central and southeastern parts of England.

Leonie Chao-Fong30 July 2021 18:00

That’s it for our coverage of x today, thanks for following

Leonie Chao-Fong30 July 2021 18:00

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in