A weather warning has been issued by the Met Office as strong winds arrive in parts of Cumbria today.
The yellow weather warning, which runs until 6pm, says strong and gusty winds are likely to cause some disruption to travel and interruptions to power.
The Met Office said: “Strong west or south westerly winds will arrive across coastal areas of southwest England and Wales during Sunday evening, then develop more widely inland during this morning.
“Gusts of 45mph to 55mph are expected widely inland, with gusts of 60mph to 70mph possible at times along exposed coasts and hills.
“Winds will only slowly ease from the west later in the afternoon and into Monday evening.”
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
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 lives.
