Strong winds are set to hit Cumbria.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for prolonged period of strong winds from 7am today, Saturday December 21, until 9pm tomorrow, Sunday December 22.
Strong and gusty north-westerly winds are expected to develop over the course of the weekend and gusts of up to 50mph and 60mph are expected quite widely.
Gusts of up to 70mph are possible around exposed coasts and hills. Squally showers, hail and thunder are also possible in some places.
The weather forecaster said there is a potential for delays to public transport and some disruption to the road network, which may have a greater than usual impact given the busier pre-Christmas weekend travel.
It added that dangerous coastal conditions can be expected too, with large waves an additional hazard.
What should I expect?
- Some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport are likely
- It’s likely that some coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities will be affected by spray and/or large waves
- Probably some bus and train services affected, with some journeys taking longer
- Some short term loss of power and other services is possible
- Delays for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges likely
- There is a small chance of isolated, short term loss of power
Why should I care about weather warnings?
Weather warnings are issued to let people know what weather is in store for their area and what its impact could be.
The Met Office is the UK’s official weather service and is responsible for issuing weather warnings to the public.
There are three main levels of weather warning:
- Yellow – which asks people to be prepared for disruption
- Amber – which asks people to change plans that could be impacted by the weather and take action to protect themselves and their property
- Red – which is issued for weather that poses a danger to life and asks people to immediately take direct action to keep themselves and others safe from impacts of the weather
Yellow and amber warnings represent a range of impact levels and likelihoods. This means it is important to read each warning to know what level of impact to expect in your local area – and how likely those impacts are to occur.
The Met Office began issuing impact-based warnings in 2011 – which means that warnings are issued when the weather may have an impact on people’s day to day lives.
Previous to this, warnings were issued to the public when certain weather thresholds or levels were reached.
Impact-based warnings take multiple factors into account – these include time of day, if it may impact traffic, time of year, if the weather is unusual, if there are any seasonal events taking place and if the area is well equipped to deal with the weather.
Each warning level is designed to help people take steps to minimise the chances of disruption in their liv
