The United Kingdom is bracing for a weekend of severe weather as Storm Boelo is expected to bring powerful winds and heavy rain to northern parts of the country, with gusts reaching 80mph in exposed coastal areas. According to Sky News, the Met Office has named Boelo as the second…...
The United Kingdom is bracing for a weekend of severe weather as Storm Boelo is expected to bring powerful winds and heavy rain to northern parts of the country, with gusts reaching 80mph in exposed coastal areas.
According to Sky News, the Met Office has named Boelo as the second storm of the season, with Northern Ireland, Scotland and northern England forecast to experience the strongest winds from Saturday afternoon through Sunday.
The storm is expected to arrive in Northern Ireland and western Scotland on Saturday afternoon after being “invigorated by an active jet stream as it crosses the Atlantic”.
Forecasters have warned that the entire UK could experience heavy rain on Saturday as the storm moves in from the west, with wind speeds increasing throughout the day.
A yellow wind warning has been issued for mainland Scotland, the Western Isles, Orkney and the far north of England from 6pm on Saturday until 9pm on Sunday.
Gusts of between 55mph and 65mph are expected across the affected areas, while exposed coastal locations could experience winds reaching 70mph to 80mph.
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Northern Ireland is also under a separate yellow wind warning, effective from 6pm on Saturday until 3pm on Sunday. Gusts of 50mph to 60mph are forecast widely, potentially rising to 65mph to 75mph in exposed areas.
Met Office deputy chief forecaster Chris Bulmer said Storm Boelo would affect “the opposite end of the country to Storm Austen” as strong winds and heavy rain create “an impactful weekend of weather”.
Boelo is expected to arrive less than 48 hours after the Met Office announced Storm Austen, the first named storm of the season, which is forecast to affect the south-west of England on Friday.
The agency has issued an amber wind warning for Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and Devon from 1am until 5pm on Friday as Austen approaches.
A separate yellow wind warning covering a large area of England and Wales will run from 10am to 9pm on Friday, with gusts of between 45mph and 55mph expected.
Met Office chief forecaster Neil Armstrong said Storm Austen would bring “the first stormy weather in the south of the UK this season and we expect some disruption as it moves through.
“With trees in leaf, it is likely fallen branches and trees could obstruct roads and railways so take extra care on the Friday morning commute.”
Armstrong also warned of “large waves and dangerous conditions around the coast of Wales and southwest England”, urging people to “stay away from cliff edges and well back from stormy seas that can sweep you off your feet”.
Winds are expected to gradually weaken on Friday as Storm Austen moves into the North Sea by evening, before Storm Boelo brings another round of unsettled weather to the UK over the weekend.