UK weather: Wales battered with 66mph winds as Storm Ellen hits UK and Ireland
Written by News on 20/08/2020
Winds of 66mph have been recorded in Ireland and Wales as Storm Ellen hit western parts of Britain this morning.
Pembrey Sands, on the coast of West Wales, was battered by gusts of 66mph, the Met Office said.
The forecaster tweeted: “Storm Ellen is currently bringing some unseasonably windy weather across the west with Wales having seen the strongest winds so far.”
Gusts of up to 66mph were also recorded in Ireland at Finner, Met Eireann reported, while the Met Office said Ireland’s “exposed southern coasts” had experienced gusts of 89mph at Roches Point.
Named by Ireland’s Met Office, Ellen is the UK’s fifth named storm of the 2019-2020 season.
Emerging from a “decayed tropical cyclone”, it was forecast to sweep across Ireland before hitting all of the UK’s west coast, the Met Office said.
Yellow weather warnings have been issued from Scotland’s west coast to western Wales and down to Cornwall through to 4am on Friday.
Waves of over 20ft are expected on Cornwall’s coast, according to surf reports.
Met Office spokeswoman Nicola Maxey said winds on Thursday could reach 75mph.
Forecasters predict gusts could bring delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport links, while power supplies could be disrupted.
It is likely some coastal routes and sea fronts will be affected by large waves, and tree damage could cause debris on roads.
As well as heavy rain and wind, temperatures will be much lower than the last 10 days, although East Anglia could still see highs of around 28C on Thursday, the Met Office said.
Met Office chief meteorologist Steve Ramsdale said: “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.”
HM Coastguard and emergency services in Devon and Cornwall warned a combination of strong winds and spring tides “will make our coastlines hazardous for the next few days”.
They said swell will increase in size, while tidal surges will rapidly force water on to beaches and debris could be pushed onto promenades and around harbours.
They added: “No photo is worth a life.”
The Met Office warned campers and walkers on the coast to be aware of the warnings and said garden furniture, trampolines and children’s toys should be brought inside or secured.
(c) Sky News 2020: UK weather: Wales battered with 66mph winds as Storm Ellen hits UK and Ireland
