Rare red wind warning issued as Storm Darragh approaches

The Met Office has issued a rare red weather warning for wind as Storm Darragh approaches.

The warning is in place from 03:00 to 11:00 GMT on Saturday, covering western and southern coastal regions of Wales as well as the Bristol Channel in England.

Yellow wind warnings are in place for swathes of the UK on Friday, with amber warnings covering Northern Ireland, Wales and the west coast of England on Saturday morning.

Red weather warnings are the most serious type of warning.

The Met Office only issues them when meteorologists believe that dangerous, potentially life-threatening weather is expected imminently.

The areas under the red warning are forecast wind gusts of 90mph (144kmph) or more, which could lead to flying debris and falling trees, posing a danger to life, the Met Office added.

The winds are also expected to cause large waves, power cuts affecting mobile phone services, as well as damage to buildings and homes. Transport networks are also anticipated to be affected.

Heavy rain and strengthening winds will be felt across western parts of the UK from late on Friday.

This weather pattern will turn into Storm Darragh moving into Saturday.

The Met Office said the strongest winds would subside by late Saturday morning, but that it would remain very windy until the evening, with amber warnings remaining in place until then.

A yellow rain warning, indicating a risk of flooding, is also in place in parts of the western UK.

In the north of Scotland, a yellow snow warning is in place, with hills above 400m (1,300ft) elevation getting up to 20cm (8in) of snow. Snow will affect higher parts of the A9 and A83 and may lead to disruption and potential closures.

The Irish Meteorological Service has also issued a red warning for wind from 22:00 on Friday across parts of counties Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo.

The storm has already caused some disruption, with wind damage to overhead wires blocking railway lines between Leeds and Wakefield Westgate.

National Rail said trains could be cancelled, delayed or diverted and urged users to check their journey before setting off.

In Staffordshire, high winds were reported to have brought down more dozens of trees and closed roads.

People on social media reported branches hitting buildings including a church. Some described what they had seen as a “tornado”.

Several events have also been cancelled for this weekend, including the Enchanted Winter Garden at Antrim Castle, Northern Ireland, as well as Christmas events across England including Shropshire, Cambridge and Cornwall.

The RAC has advised motorists to postpone their journeys.

Spokeswoman Alice Simpson told the BBC: “Exposed rural and coastal routes will be particularly treacherous.

“Drivers in these areas should be wary of any high-sided vehicles as they are at risk of being buffeted off course or, worse still, blown over.”

Storm Darragh is the fourth named storm of the year, after Ashley, Bert and Conall.

Some parts of the UK are still recovering from Storm Bert, which caused extreme flooding and led to the deaths of five people in November.

Scientists say as the Earth’s climate warms, extreme weather events will become more frequent. For every 1C rise in average temperature, the atmosphere can hold up to around 7% more moisture.

Globally, heavy rainfall events have become more frequent and intense over most land regions, according to the UN’s climate body, which says the pattern will intensify with further warming.

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