Met Office issues brutal 'strongest winds of winter' 250mph storm warning
The UK has been slapped with a grim weather update by the Met Office - ahead of what looks like it could be the "strongest" winds of winter so far. The Met Office has warned over a "powerful" weather shift in the country this week.
In a new map, the Met Office took to Twitter, which has now been rebranded as X, and said: "A powerful Jet Stream will develop above the North Atlantic this week, with perhaps the strongest winds of the winter so far.
"This means a return to wet and windy conditions in the UK by Friday with some disruptive weather likely. Keep up to date with the forecast." The map shows both arctic and tropical air merging together and bringing a "strong temperature contrast fuelling a very powerful Jet Stream".
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The agency added: "Jet Stream winds of up to 250mph" may be heading in the direction of the UK with low pressure rapidly deepening. Jet streams flow high overhead and cause changes in the wind and pressure at that level - impacting things nearer the surface, such as areas of high and low pressure.
Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist, Chris Almond, said: “A very deep area of low pressure will bring a very unsettled, potentially disruptive, spell of weather to the UK through Friday and into Saturday. Winds will begin to strengthen on Thursday night with the peak gusts forecast through Friday in Northern Ireland and western Scotland. The wind will also be accompanied by heavy rain bringing some unpleasant conditions to end the week.
“We have issued a Yellow weather warning for wind, and with several days before the impactful weather, the forecast details are likely to be fine-tuned during the week, so stay tuned to your local forecast and keep up to date with Met Office warnings.”
Chris continued: “As the low develops over the Atlantic and interacts with the jet stream it will rapidly strengthen, a phenomenon called ‘explosive cyclogenesis’, where the central pressure of a low at latitudes in which the UK lies drops 24 millibars or more in 24 hours. This is forecast to happen on Thursday while the system is out over the Atlantic and it will be a mature feature by the time it reaches the UK.”