Met Office warns of storm risk in the South

An alert has been issued over the chance of heavy rain and wind in the South of England on Monday, which may cause serious disruption in the area.

Colin Seddon from the BBC Weather Centre said it will undoubtedly be “the worst storm we’ve seen this year”.

The Met Office has launched a national severe weather warning for Sunday night and Monday morning.

It issued an amber warning for Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, West Sussex, East Sussex and Kent, stating that on Monday, strong wind and rain could cause floods and incidents.

According to the Met Office, “The public should be prepared for the risk of falling trees as well as damage to buildings and other structures, bringing disruption to transport and power supplies.

“There is the potential for gusts of over 80 mph, especially on exposed coasts, both in southwesterly winds ahead of the low and west to northwesterly winds behind it.”

The Met Office said that this storm is “unusual” because it would develop closer to the UK, instead of building up in the Atlantic Ocean.

Eddy Carroll, chief forecaster said, “This storm doesn’t exist at the moment, but our forecasts models predict it is likely to develop in the West Atlantic on Saturday. Then it’s likely to rapidly intensify just west of the UK late on Sunday before tracking across England and Wales early on Monday.

“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”.

Northern England, Wales and the Midlands have also received a yellow warning, the least serious alert, because of expected heavy rain that may cause surface flooding.

Further reading:

Half of 2012 extreme weather events linked to climate change, says study

Climate change to ‘change the face’ of UK coastal wildlife

British heatwave responsible for up to 760 deaths, say researchers

Is our weather getting worse? In short, yes