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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Your support makes all the difference.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.”
When and how is a storm named?
The criteria the Met Office uses is based on its National Severe Weather Warnings service, which combines both the impact the weather could have with the likelihood of those potential impacts occurring.
A storm will be named when it has the potential to cause an amber or red warning.
Then, when the criteria for naming a storm have been met, either the Met Office, Met Éireann or KNMI can name a storm. Each year, the Met Office receives thousands of suggestions for storm names from the public.
However, for consistency with the US National Hurricane Centre conventions, no storms are named with a Q, U, X, Y or Z.
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, this July 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.
What has the Met Office said about Storm Antoni?
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 20-30mm more widely. Away from the warning area many will still see a very wet day, especially in north Wales and north England.
“Storm Antoni will also bring strong winds to a swathe of Wales, southwest England and southern coastal areas of England. The strongest winds will affect parts southwest England and southwest Wales where exposed coasts and high ground could see gusts in excess of 60mph. In these areas, gusts inland could reach 50-55mph for a time. These windy conditions will likely coincide with high tides which will present an additional challenge for coastal areas.
“Busy travel networks at this time of year and the possibility of people having made plans to be outside have resulted in the system meeting our criteria for naming, with a strong chance of disruption for those within the warning areas.”
What will the roads be like during Storm Antoni?
Ahead of Storm Antoni’s arrival, the RAC has issued a warning to drivers across the UK.
The RAC’s Rod Dennis said: “We expect Saturday to be the worst day on the roads of the summer so far, especially for anyone in the southwest of England – and that’s a lot of people as our research shows it’s the most popular part of the country for leisure trips by car this year.
“Conditions will be atrocious with a wholly unpleasant mix of very strong winds and locally intense rainfall. The best advice is to slow down significantly to stay safe and avoid exposed moorland and coastal routes until the storm passes. Drivers towing caravans and trailers need to be particularly careful in these conditions and those with boxes and bikes on the roof should double-check they’re secured properly.
“Drivers should also watch out for fallen trees and be prepared for the disruption they cause.
“Nationally, we estimate around 4m drivers will be using the roads for leisure journeys across the whole weekend.”
Met Office issues special forecast ahead of Storm Antoni
Storm Antoni is set to bring “unseasonably strong” winds and heavy rain to the UK on Saturday.
The storm, which is the first to be named by the Met Office this season, will hit the UK from late Friday night and into Saturday.
Rain and wind warnings have been issued for Northern Ireland and parts of south-west Britain respectively.
Northern Ireland will see heavy rain from the early hours of Saturday morning, while parts of Wales and south-west and coastal southern England will be blasted with heavy wind.
Ahead of Storm Antoni’s arrival, the Met Office has issued a special forecast. Watch here:
Storm Antoni forces cancellation of outdoor events
The weather has also forced organisers of outdoor events scheduled to take place this weekend to cancel their plans.
Eliot Walker, organiser of the annual Dorset jazz festival, Stompin’ on the Quomps, said he was “disappointed” he had to postpone this year’s event due to Storm Antoni. The free festival in Christchurch Quay was forced to cancel its activities for the first time in its 30-year history.
Mr Walker, 44, said: “We’re really disappointed that the town can’t come together to enjoy a wonderful day listening to professional jazz and big bands by the side of the river on the picturesque quay.”
Around 10,000 people had been expected to attend on Saturday. The decision to cancel the festival was driven by concerns for the safety of traders and spectators, as gusts of up to 60mph are predicted.
Mr Walker added: “We always keep an eye on the weather for the months leading up to the events just to get a general idea, and the closer we get, the more accurate and consistent the weather forecasts tend to be.
“But on Wednesday, we were still seeing gusts of wind to 47mph, which is quite extreme for Christchurch. And it was at that point we wanted to give our traders and bands enough time to know that they weren’t going to be performing.
“Christchurch Quay is a popular location for events. We are talking to Christchurch Town Council and trying to find available dates in either August or September to move the festival to.”
UK weather: Met Office gives verdict on whether heatwave will hit Britain this month
As the UK braces for another weekend of miserable weather during Storm Antoni, the Met Office has given its verdict on whether a heatwave will hit Britain this month.
The first storm of the year will see gusts of up to 65mph batter coastlines from Friday evening onwards, with winds of up to 50mph inland due in parts of south Wales and southwest England, leaving Britons longing for the summer sun to return.
“Unseasonably” strong winds and fast-flowing rainwaters may disrupt air, rail, road and ferry travel and could bring a “danger to life” as the low-pressure weather system moves in from the Atlantic Ocean, meteorologists said.
Read more:
Will there be a heatwave this summer?
As the UK is set for another weekend of miserable weather in the form of Storm Antoni, the Met Office has given its verdict on whether a heatwave will hit Britain this month.
The first storm of the year, Storm Antoni will see gusts of up to 65mph batter coastlines from Friday evening onwards, with winds of up to 50mph inland due in parts of south Wales and southwest England leaving Britons longing for another heatwave.
“Unseasonably” strong winds and fast-flowing rainwaters may disrupt air, rail, road and ferry travel and could bring a “danger to life” as the low-pressure weather system moves in from the Atlantic Ocean, meteorologists said, with the RAC warning of “atrocious” conditions for drivers.
However, the Met Office has dashed hopes of an improvement in favour of sunnier conditions as it has warned that cooler temperatures and unseasonal wet weather are likely to persist for two more weeks.
According to the Met Office, the washout summer in England will continue for at least another 10 days, with warmer and drier conditions becoming “slightly more likely than the unseasonably unsettled weather of July” during the second half of August.
From 6-15 August, temperatures will continue to be mostly below average for this time of the year (around 20C), “although they should start to recover through the period”.
“The greatest chance of seeing anything more widely settled is the second-part of August, with warmer and drier conditions becoming more likely,” they added, when temperatures are forecast to rise to average, or slightly above average. However, this change might be accompanied by an increasing risk of thundery showers.
UK weather: Why is Britain enduring such a rainy summer?
While much of southern Europe has been battling 40C heat and out-of-control wildfires in recent weeks – the latest disturbing illustration of the climate crisis in action – the UK has been enduring one of the most damp and dismal summers in recent memory.
This time last year, the country experienced precedent-shattering temperatures but, 12 months on, several areas including Preston, Lancashire, and Castlederg in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, have reported their wettest July since records began, according to the BBC.
Joe Sommerlad reports:
Why is Britain enduring such a rainy summer?
Jet stream to blame for damp squib, meteorologists explain
In pictures: UK weather as August misery continues
Last month marked the UK’s sixth wettest July on record, averaging 140.1mm of rain across the month, and it was the wettest in Northern Ireland’s history.
Areas in England further set new rainfall records, including Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside, which all experienced their wettest July since records began in 1836.
The latest figures could be reviewed once all rainfall data for last month has been collected and reviewed, the Met Office added.
As the miserable weather continues into August, here are the recent conditions in pictures:
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