Storm Darragh sparks rare red warning from Met Office for dangerous winds

The Met Office has issued a rare red weather alert for wind, warning of significant disruption and a “danger to life”.

The red warning - which is third on a severity scale of three - has been made for parts of Wales and the South West of England, including Cardiff, Bristol and Devon.

It is in place from 3am to 11am on Saturday as Storm Darragh hits the UK. It is expected to bring gusts of up to 90mph.

The agency urged people to "stay indoors if you can" and avoid travelling by road.

The Met Office said: "A period of extremely strong winds will develop during the early hours of Saturday morning as Storm Darragh moves across the Irish Sea. Gusts of 90mph or more are possible over coasts and hills of west and south Wales, as well as funnelling through the Bristol Channel with some very large waves on exposed beaches.

"The strongest winds will begin to ease from late morning, though it will remain very windy with Amber wind warnings still in force until the evening."

The agency has warned of a danger to life due to flying debris and falling trees; large waves and beach material being thrown onto coastal roads, sea fronts and homes; power cuts; damage to buildings and homes with roofs blown off and power lines brought down; and roads, bridges and railway lines closed, with delays and cancellations to bus, train, ferry services and flights.

A separate amber warning for dangerous winds, covering a larger swathe of the west coast of the UK from Scotland to Cornwall, is also in place until 9pm.

Darragh, the fourth named storm of the season, is also expected to bring heavy rain over the weekend, with around 130 flood warnings and alerts in place across the UK.

A yellow warning for rain is in place for Northern Ireland and Wales, which were badly affected by flooding during Storm Bert, as well as parts of Scotland from 3pm on Friday until noon on Saturday.

Up to 60mm of rain could fall in these areas, which may lead to some flooding and disruption, forecasters said.

What is a red warning?

Red warnings are rarely issued and should be taken extremely seriously. The last one was issued in October last year during Storm Babet when the Met Office predicted some areas would experience 200-250mm of rainfall in a short space of time.

They are so rare that there will be years when the Met Office does not issue any, although since 2020 there has always been at least one, with two issued in 2022.

Red warnings bring the most extreme weather the UK can expect, with there being a high risk of injury or death. Property and travel networks are expected to be severely impacted with mass power cuts likely.

The Met Office recommends people do not travel during the period of the warning. If you live in the impacted area you should follow the advice of the emergency services and local authorities about how best to prepare.

Why are storms named in the UK?

The Met Office has been naming storms since 2015 and uses them to describe weather that has the potential to cause disruption or damage which could result in an amber or red warning.

The Met Office works with the meteorological organisations in Ireland and the Netherlands to name storms, with each organisation picking seven names each storm season.

There are no names for the letters Q, U, X, Y and Z in order to maintain consistency for official storm naming in the North Atlantic.

It was introduced to provide a single authoritative system that helps officials communicate severe weather events to keep the public, their property and businesses safe.

It is a tactic that has been adopted around the world to help put the danger of weather events in people's minds by having an easily rememberable name to think about rather than just calling it 'the storm'.

The increased public awareness and media coverage all helps the impacted region prepare the best they can for the incoming turbulent weather.

Read more

• What do amber, red and yellow weather warnings actually mean? (Yahoo News UK)

• Storm Darragh: Schiphol airport cancels hundreds of flights as UK braces for travel chaos (The Standard)