Amber wind warnings issued as Storm Debi pushes across UK
A pair of amber weather warnings have been issued for Northern Ireland and the north-west of England as Storm Debi brings ‘very strong and disruptive winds’.
The fourth named storm of the season has been making its way across the Republic of Ireland this morning, with a pair of severe ‘status red’ warnings in place for areas including Dublin.
Forecasters are predicting some parts of the island could be hit by winds of up to 80mph over the course of the day, leading some schools to delay opening.
The amber wind warning for the south-east portion of Northern Ireland, including Newry, came into effect at 6am and will last until 12pm.
It says travel chaos is likely to result from the bad weather, as roads and bridges are closed and rail and ferry services are further affected.
There may also be a danger to life from flying debris and large waves on the coast.
A separate amber warning for north-west England, including cities such as Preston and Lancaster, will be in effect from 10am to 4pm.
The Met Office warns that the same impacts could be felt there as in Northern Ireland: a danger to life from debris and waves, as well as damage to buildings and a ‘good chance’ of power cuts.
Meanwhile, yellow warnings are in place for rain and wind across the entirety of Northern Ireland until 2pm; for wind across west and north-west Wales and northern England until 6pm; and for rain in the north-east of Scotland between 10am and 9pm.
Authorities in the Republic of Ireland said almost 60,000 homes have been left without power this morning as a result of the storm, with that number expected to rise.
Gerry Murphy, a senior forecaster with Irish weather agency Met Éireann, told RTÉ News: ‘People should really just sit it out, it’s actually quite a short, sharp storm.’
Matthew Lehnert, a chief meteorologist with the Met Office, said: ‘Storm Debi has developed rapidly overnight and will bring impacts across parts of the UK today.
‘Because of the particular risk of impacts to parts of County Armagh and County Down this morning and parts of northwest England through much of the day we have issued two amber wind warnings.’
The storm is expected to move into the North Sea this evening.
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