Storm Lilian is on its way to Cumbria – bringing strong winds which may lead to major disruption across the county overnight and tomorrow morning.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for wind and Electricity North West said it was ramping up preparations in anticipation of the storm.
The Met Office said an area of strong winds associated with Storm Lilian is expected to move east across northern England during Friday morning.
It added: “While there remains some uncertainty about the details, some very strong winds are likely to develop, with gusts widely in the 50mph to 60mph range, with a lower chance that a small core of winds gusting 65-75mph, perhaps 80mph, could push quickly east during the morning.
“These winds are likely to affect major routes such as the M6, A66 and A1(M), as well as potentially impacting infrastructure.
“As well as the strong winds, some locally heavy rainfall will add to the difficult travel conditions.”
What should I expect?
- Some damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs, could happen
- Injuries and danger to life from flying debris are possible
- Power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage
- Injuries and danger to life could occur from large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties
- Some roads and bridges may close
- Road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected, with longer journey times and cancellations possible
What should I do?
Prepare to protect your property and people from injury. Check for loose items outside your home and plan how you could secure them. Items include; bins, garden furniture, trampolines, tents, sheds, and fences.
Give yourself the best chance of avoiding delays by checking road conditions if driving, or bus and train timetables, amending your travel plans if necessary.
People cope better with power cuts when they have prepared for them in advance. It’s easy to do; consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items.
If you are on the coast, stay safe during stormy weather by being aware of large waves. Even from the shore large breaking waves can sweep you off your feet and out to sea.
Take care if walking near cliffs; know your route and keep dogs on a lead. In an emergency, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.
Be prepared for weather warnings to change quickly.
Electricity North West said it will have hundreds of engineers on standby to repair any damage, with extra call agents on hand to provide help and support to customers.
Ahead of the high winds, Electricity North West wants to warn its customers that conditions at times may be unsafe for lines teams to climb meaning restorations might be delayed.
Samantha Loukes, incident manager for Electricity North West, said: “We’re constantly monitoring the weather.
“We’re expecting the worst of the weather to hit overnight from around 4am but forecasts do change, and teams will be on hand to keep an eye out and respond.
“Given the predicted forecasts, conditions at times could be unsafe for engineers to climb which might mean restorations are delayed.
“Where we can, we’ll utilise the remote technology on our network to restore supplies and once conditions have eased, teams will carry out permanent repairs where it is safe to do so.”
Electricity North West invests millions each year cutting back trees from power lines, but strong winds can still cause damage and blow other debris into the network which can cause power cuts.
People are urged to prepare ahead of possible power cuts by charging phones and laptops, getting blankets and torches ready and speaking with neighbours or family members so you know what to do.
“The safety of the public and our own teams is our number one priority,” added Samantha.
“As always, if people see any damaged equipment, then stay well clear as it could still be live. Call us on 105 and we will send engineers to make it safe. If there is a life-threatening situation call 999.”
Currently, there is one flood warning and 11 flood alerts issued for Cumbria. Read more here
