UK weather forecast: Wind and flood warnings issued by Met Office as 80mph gales pummel Britain
Further delays to road, rail and air travel expected
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Your support makes all the difference.Atlantic gales up to 80mph have hit England and Wales, bringing travel delays and power cuts.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for wind across Wales and southern and central parts of England.
It advised the public there could be disruption to roads, rail, air and ferry travel, as well as possible blackouts.
Tall vehicles travelling on exposed roads and bridges should also expect to be delayed by the weather, according to forecasters.
Weather warnings for more strong winds are set to come into effect over the weekend.
The Queen Elizabeth II Bridge at the Dartford Crossing, a major commuter route across the River Thames, was closed for around three hours on Thursday morning due to unsafe wind speeds, Highways England said.
Essex Police warned motorists to expect long delays on roads in the area.
Overnight, 285 homes in Cornwall lost power due to the bad weather while others in the area experienced short outages of three minutes or less, Western Power Distribution said.
A 76mph gust was measured on Thursday morning in Capel Curig, north Wales, as well as a 67mph gust in Aberdaron on the country’s west coast.
In the south east of England, 54mph winds were measured in Langdon Bay in Kent and gusts of 52mph in Thorney Island, West Sussex.
The strongest wind measured by the Met Office overnight was 79mph on the Isle of Wight.
The gusts are expected to pick up again by midday on Friday, with a warning for then covering most of the UK and remaining in place until Saturday evening.
This will be accompanied by a warning for persistent heavy rain in Scotland, where as much as 60mm is forecast to fall over high ground. The Met Office said melting snow over the weekend would contribute to the risk of flooding.
It said there was also a risk of thunder and hail throughout the rest of the week.
Meteorologist Mark Wilson advised motorists to take care.
He said: “Be mindful that there could be some tricky conditions on the roads, for example there will be strong winds that could affect transport, like high-sided vehicles crossing bridges, so there could be delays.”
Temperatures will stay mild on Thursday, with highs of 7C in Scotland and 10C in the south of England, Mr Wilson added.
The yellow weather warning runs from 12pm on Friday to 6pm on Saturday.
Additional reporting by Press Association
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