Four days of gales, snow and heavy rain prompts Met Office warning for Wales
People in Wales have been warned to brace for further weather disruption in the coming days. The Met Office said heavy rain, strong winds and wintry showers could bring flooding and travel delays in the wake of Storm Eowyn.
Over a 22-hour period, to 80mm of rainfall could be seen in parts of the country accompanied by gales gusting to 70mph. While the low pressure system won’t be as powerful as Storm Eowyn, rain could then persist for three or four days, raising the risk of flooding.
Saturday’s relatively benign start in Wales could mask what’s to come. Two yellow Met Office warnings are in place for Sunday into Monday, with the unsettled weather forecast to continue on Tuesday and, in some places, on Wednesday. During this unsettled period, most weather models show hail, sleet and some snow over North Wales, most likely over the mountains.
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Jason Kelly, chief meteorologist at the Met Office said: “The influence of Storm Éowyn on the UK’s weather will diminish as it moves further north and east on Saturday morning.
“But there’s little respite in the conditions for some with the next area of low pressure arriving from the southwest on Sunday. While Sunday’s system doesn’t have the same strength as Eowyn, it will hamper some recovery efforts and bring further wind and rain, with the possibility of some flooding in places.
“10-20mm of rain will fall quite widely on Sunday in central and southern England, much of Wales and Northern Ireland, with 30-50mm possible over high ground. Thundery showers could top up totals later in the day for some. With this rain falling on saturated ground in many places, there’s a chance of flooding for some, with winds an accompanying hazard with the system.”
The gloomy outlook comes after winds reached 100mph on Friday as Storm Éowyn left one person dead, more than a million people without power and caused significant travel disruption across the UK and Ireland. A peak gust of 93mph was recorded at Aberdaron on the Gwynedd coast and key bridges on the A55 and A548 were closed for part of the day. Join the North Wales Live Whatsapp community now
Shortly before the storm hit, its exact track having been established, predicted wind speeds for northwest Wales were revised downwards by the Met Office. Even so, two B roads on Anglesey remained blocked by fallen trees this morning (Saturday, January 25).
On Sunday, a yellow wind alert covering south-west England, English and Scottish coasts around the Irish Sea, Wales and Northern Ireland will be in place from 8am to 3pm. Gusts of 50 to 60mph gusts are widely expected in the warning area, with 70mph peaks possible on exposed coasts and hills.
Between 8am on Sunday and 6am on Monday, some places could see up to 80mm of rainfall from two separate spells of heavy rain and thundery showers. Some 10mm to 20mm should fall quite widely and 30 to 50mm could fall over high ground.
Flooding to homes and businesses could occur in the warning area, with power cuts and difficult driving conditions also possible. There is also a “small chance” of fast flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life, the Met Office said. A flood alert had been in place on the Lower Dee catchment, from the Llangollen to Trevalyn Meadows, but this has now been withdrawn for the time being.
Longer-term forecasts suggest rain will continue to fall over much of Wales on Monday, with lighter spells of rain on Tuesday. Another Atlantic low is forecast to sweep across Wales on Wednesday, currently expected to affect mainly southern parts of the country.
In its outlook for Wales on Monday through to Wednesday (January 27-29), the Met Office said: “Remaining unsettled both Monday and Tuesday with showers or longer spells of rain around, windy. Similar on Wednesday with strengthening winds and heavy rain arriving later. Near normal temperatures.”
From late January into February, more settled conditions are forecast, with temperatures likely to be “around or slightly above average”. The Met Office added: “As conditions become more settled there is an increases risk of overnight frost and fog.”
Sunday’s low-pressure system has been named as Storm Herminia by the Spanish Meteorological Service, with more significant impacts expected in Spain. The system did not meet the criteria to be named by the Met Office’s storm naming group, which includes Met Eireann and KNMI. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
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