Batten down the hatches in the south of England and Wales

http://home.bt.com/news/uknews/forecasters-widen-storm-warnings-11363844240977

Not good news for those of us southerners.

Thanks nby .

Has Michael Fish said anything about it yet ?  

Yes he has!
 
http://www.thisissussex.co.uk/UK-storms-time-Michael-Fish-isn-t-ruling/story-19990028-detail/story.html#axzz2ip69VOKH

That means there will probably be a heat wave.  

Warning as 80mph winds forecast

The worst storm for more than five years is expected to batter England and Wales on Sunday night and Monday.













Winds in excess of 80mph could lead to power cuts and transport disruption during rush hour on Monday mor








Last updated: 26 October 2013, 15:30 BST


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The worst storm for more than five years is expected to batter England and Wales on Sunday night and Monday.

The Met Office said winds in excess of 80mph could bring down trees and cause structural damage, leading to power cuts and transport disruption in rush hour on Monday morning.

The Environment Agency warned of surface water flooding across most of England as forecasters from MeteoGroup predicted up to 25mm of rain could fall in just six hours.

The storm will develop over the Atlantic today and is expected to hit the south-west of Britain before moving north-eastwards. Heavy rain is due to arrive on Sunday night with strong winds in the early hours of Monday.

It has been named the St Jude Storm after the patron saint of lost causes whose feast date is on Monday.

The Met Office issued an amber warning, meaning ''be prepared'', for the southern half of England and the southern half of Wales.

It gave a lesser yellow warning, meaning ''be aware'', for the rest of Wales and England up to the border with Scotland.

The Met Office described the storm as not one "you would see every year", and said the expected wind strengths would be similar to storms in March 2008, January 2007 and October 2000.

Steve Willington, chief forecaster at the Met Office, said: "We are talking about a storm which doesn't yet exist, so there remains some uncertainty about its possible timing, track and strength. However, several forecast models currently suggest we will see a significant storm with exceptionally strong winds impacting parts of England and Wales.

"This is a developing situation and we'd advise people to stay up to date with our forecasts and warnings over the weekend, and be prepared to change their plans if necessary. We'll continue to work closely with authorities and emergency services to ensure they are aware of the expected conditions."

Atlantic storms of this type usually develop further west across the ocean, losing strength by the time they reach the UK and Ireland.

But this is expected to appear much closer to land, potentially moving across the country while in its most powerful phase.

A strong jet stream and warm air close to the UK are contributing to its development and strength.

Gemma Plumb, forecaster with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "The first place that will see the strong winds will be south-west England, which could see gusts of 75-80mph.

"The storm will move north-eastwards, with winds of 60-70mph in the Midlands and East Anglia.

"Northern England and North Wales are looking at winds of 50-60mph."

Darron Burness, head of the AA's flood rescue team, said: ''If the predicted storm strikes, the timing couldn't really be worse, potentially causing significant travel disruption on Monday morning, which is one of the busiest times on the roads.

''Strong wind and torrential rain is an unpredictable and hazardous combination, which can be quite overwhelming when you're driving.

''There's likely to be tree and other debris on the roads as well potential flooding, so it's very important to keep your speed down and drive with great care, particularly on country roads early on Monday morning when it's still dark."

Meanwhile the Metropolitan Police urged people to avoid calling 999 during the storm unless there is a real emergency.

A spokesman said: "The Metropolitan Police Service is reminding Londoners to dial 101 when contacting police when it's not an emergency with expected increases in demand brought about by high winds in the next few days.

"Calling 999 when it is not an emergency can reduce our effectiveness at dealing with genuine emergencies."

Home insurers were bracing themselves for the prospect of a high number of storm damage claims.

Claire Foster of Direct Line said: "We take the current severe weather and flood warnings extremely seriously and have put our emergency action plans into place. We have people on the ground and on the phones ready to help customers make a claim. Our priority is reassuring householders with Direct Line home insurance policies and getting them back in their home as quickly as possible."

The forecast of storms has also caused the cancellation of ferry services on Sunday and Monday between Plymouth and Roscoff as well as Penzance and the Isles of Scilly.

Brittany Ferries, which runs the Plymouth-Roscoff route, said on its website: "We are in the process of contacting all passengers booked on these sailings. We apologise for the inconvenience the cancellation of these services will cause."

Hurricane-Speed Winds Threaten Britain

The Met Office says gusts of up to 80mph could lash some parts of Britain, causing "severe disruption" and damage.

1:58pm UK, Thursday 24 October 2013

Autumn weather Oct 10th
The Met Office warn there is a risk of a 'significant' storm developing












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Parts of the UK face being battered by hurricane-speed winds which threaten to rip down trees, cause transport chaos, and cut power supplies, forecasters have warned.

The risk of a severe storm has been highlighted by the Met Office, which it said could see gusts of more than 80mph, especially on exposed coasts in the South.

A storm is classed as a hurricane when it has sustained winds of 74mph or higher.

Unsettled weather is expected to continue into the weekend with further spells of heavy rain and strong winds.

But moving into Sunday night and Monday morning, the Met Office warn there is a risk of a 'significant' storm developing.

Based on current predictions, some areas could see some of their strongest winds for a number of years it says.

A strong jet stream and warm air close to the UK, are both contributing to the development and strength of the storm.

Eddie Carroll, Chief Forecaster at the Met Office, said: "There is still a chance this storm may take a more southerly track and miss the UK, bringing impacts elsewhere in northern Europe, but people should be aware there is a risk of severe weather and significant disruption."

Chris England, meteorologist at the Sky News weather centre, said: "There’s the potential for some exceptionally strong winds late Sunday through Monday morning, particularly over the southern half of the UK, with potentially damaging gusts of 80-90mph in exposed parts.

"But we are really talking about something that doesn’t exist yet, so the forecast of the track, the timing, and the intensity are still open to change.

"It’s really a warning of potential at the moment and something to keep an eye on."

Normally Atlantic storms of this type develop much further to the west of the UK and are waning in strength by the time they reach the UK and Ireland.

This storm is more unusual, developing much closer to the UK and potentially moving across the country while still in its most powerful phase.

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There is still hope that it will pass Britain:grin: 

Latest forecast, the Storm will reach SW of England and part of SW Wales (where I live:pray: .) about midnight tonight .

keep safe panda x here in yorkshire we are on a yellow warning nothing as yet

Panda - in case you're wondering why words appear instead of emoticons, there needs to be a space between them and the last word.
 
Example: Hello Bonnybraes witch: 
 
Hello Bonnybraes.

cass wrote:keep safe panda x here in yorkshire we are on a yellow warning nothing as yet

Thankc Cass, I have been out this morning just to get milk from the Corner Shop in case the Rain comes early. There was a high wind leaves blowing everywhere, but now it is sunny and calm.,even Blue Skies .!!!



/

Not Born Yesterday wrote:Panda - in case you're wondering why words appear instead of emoticons, there needs to be a space between them and the last word.
 
Example: Hello Bonnybraes witch: 
 
Hello Bonnybraes.

See, you learn something new every day, thanks NBY.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/10407370/Michael-Fish-take-the-morning-off-work-if-storm-hits.htm

Wasn't Michael Fish the guy who got a report terribly wrong a few years ago. 

The Wind is definitely picking up here but the rain spasmodic , they say the storm will strengthen about midnight. Have you all remembered to set your clocks back 1 hour ?

Yes, he won't live that down. It was about the terrible storm of 15th / 16th October 1987. I've never forgotten it, I was terrified that the windows would blow in.

I have two of those radio-controlled clocks which automatically reset themselves. This time neither of them did though!

Not Born Yesterday wrote:Yes, he won't live that down. It was about the terrible storm of 15th / 16th October 1987. I've never forgotten it, I was terrified that the windows would blow in.

I have two of those radio-controlled clocks which automatically reset themselves. This time neither of them did though!

I was living in Chiswick then, in a ladies' hostel, and was fortunate enough to have a ground floor room. My friend in the attic room wasn't so fortunate. The wind blew the whole roof off the house, and sucked all her stuff out the room like a tornado. There were about 10 or 12 people all crowded into my room, we were all huddled together in utter terror as the wind howled around, and there were some very choice words being used to describe Michael Fish, let me tell you!

The saddest bit was that a lot of really ancient trees at Kew Gardens were blown over and killed (I used to spend a lot of time there when I wasn't working). At that time I was going to bobbin lacemaking classes and my friend's boyfriend made me a lace bobbin out of a bit of Kew Garden tree, and burned the date onto it. I still have it after all this time, as if I needed any reminder of that awful storm

A horrible experience indeed.
 
There was another bad storm on 25th January 1990 during the day and so more people were injured (including the actor Gorden Kaye) although the winds weren't as strong.
 
I was at work and this time one of the windows did blow in. People were cowering under their desks.  
 
It helped not to be alone as I was before, apart from my 8 year old son who slept through it all!

All quiet on the hills in Kent.Got everything tied down and candles at the ready.

  

All quiet here ..on the borders of Oxfordshire / Buckinghamshire/Northamptonshire.

Just a wee bit of wind here, but it's bitterly cold and I think there might be frost. South Ayrshire.

Just starting to get a little angry down here.

It's pouring with rain where I am - and people are letting off fireworks!! - but, fingers tightly crossed, there's little wind.

Southern Trains have just cancelled all of their morning services. Presumably it's the wrong sort of storm.

ALREADY THERE ARE PICTURES OF HIGH SEAS AT PLACES LIKE PORTHLEVEN.

Absolutely pouring with rain now...the wind is okay so far. Settled in bed with laptop for the night...torch at hand. 

Got off lightly here, just a bit of rain , all calm today. There has been some tragedies though around the Country and Flights and train travel has been affected. Properties affected as well.

Nothing much happened here. It was all a bit of a damp squib. Although it's freezing today, I have had to go and put the central heating on!