UK weather forecast – Storm Ellen to smash Britain with 70mph winds and torrential rain today, Met Office warns
STORM Ellen is set to batter the UK with 70mph winds and torrential rain today, the Met Office warns.
A wind warning has been issued for western parts of the UK from tonight until Thursday night.
The Met Office warns: "A spell of strong southerly winds are expected to develop on Wednesday night across southwest England and move north across western parts of Wales, southwest Scotland and all of Northern Ireland during the early hours of Thursday.
"Although there is some uncertainty in the track of the low, gusts of 65 mph are possible inland, with 70 mph or more possible around coasts and hills.
"Whilst winds may temporarily ease during Thursday morning, a band of heavy rain is likely to move east during Thursday afternoon and evening accompanied by some locally squally winds."
Bursts of torrential rain over the last week has caused serious disruptions to towns and motorists.
The M25 was forced to close two lanes due to flooding while emergency services in Devon received over 60 calls to help affected residents and business owners.
Today rain will affect south-west England and south Wales before moving north to reach southern Scotland and Northern Ireland by this evening.
RAC Breakdown spokesperson Rod Dennis said: “This spell of autumnal-feeling weather is going to make driving conditions very unpleasant for a lot of us over the next few days.
“Strong winds will mean journeys by road will take longer than usual, and could be affected by fallen branches on the roads.
“Add in some very intense rainfall and drivers will need to take real care to complete their trips safely.
“We urge every driver heading out to make sure their car is up to the task to avoid a breakdown in the wind and rain, especially if they’re towing or taking a longer trip – in particular, check the condition and pressure of all tyres before setting out."
Temperatures this week will be much lower than the last ten days.
Many locations across the UK will see temperatures around normal values for August, but parts of East Anglia could still see highs of around 28C on Thursday post Storm Ellen.
Temperatures of 34C and higher were recorded across last week before severe thunderstorms hit the UK.
Staycationers were forced to cancel their beach holidays as severe weather rolled in and dominated the forecast.
But now the RNLI is pleading with people to stay away from exposed beaches and rocky outcrops.
They said people venturing out on to sandbanks and hard-to-reach headlands at low tide to get spectacular photos of the stormy weather should beware – they could get marooned and drown.
The RNLI warned holidaymakers "It's vital to check the tide times before you set off and make sure you start your walk back to the mainland in plenty of time.
"Don't risk the incoming tide catching you out by leaving it too late."
The Met Office tweeted to say more than 4,000 lightning strikes were recorded hitting the UK on Sunday, as well as torrential rain and strong winds.
"Following the recent hot and thundery weather we are seeing a significant change to very unsettled conditions for August with an unseasonal spell of strong winds associated with low-pressure centres for the second half of the week,” Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Steve Ramsdale said about the unusual August weather.
“Uncertainty remains high in the intensity of these systems at this point, but we are confident in the change to a spell of much windier weather. "
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