Storm Ali batters UK and Ireland; school closure fears & flights cancelled

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland and England are facing 143mph winds this morning as the first named storm (Storm Ali) of the season arrived.

Travel disturbance, flight cancellation, power cuts and flying debris are possible as the storm sweeps through, with severe gales of up to 75mph and heavy rain forecast for a large part of the UK.

The met office has issued Amber severe weather warnings for the north of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland ahead of Storm Ali’s arrival in the early hours of Wednesday.
The journeys by road, rail and air are likely to be disrupted and the storm could also damage buildings, lead to power cuts and blow over trees.

Storm Ali is passing across Ireland, moving up to Northern Ireland and Scotland, where huge waves are battering the town of Saltcoats, Ayrshire.

Milder yellow wind warnings were also issued across Northern Ireland, Scotland, the north of England and Wales on Wednesday.
The amber warnings are in place from 8am to 5pm, while the yellow alerts are scheduled from 6am to 10pm.
Meteorologist Dean Hall said parts of the UK felt gusts of about 30-40mph on Tuesday morning, with wind speeds reaching 50mph in parts of Wales. Storm Helene, which was downgraded after initial warnings it may pose a risk to life, is moving away towards the north east and will have moved on by Wednesday.

Temperatures remain above average for this time of year with 24C (75F) possible in London on Tuesday after the mercury hit 26C (79F) in the capital on Monday.

Irish President Michael D Higgins said that strong winds can result in dangerous situations and I would urge everyone to heed the warnings by the authorities and take caution when travelling or when out in the open.

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