An area of low pressure – named Storm Hannah by the Irish Met Service, Met Eireann – will bring strong winds and heavy rain to parts of Britain, especially the South West and parts of south and west Wales.


[COLOR=rgba(42, 42, 42, 0.72)]The Met Office issued a yellow wind warning for the areas most likely to be affected.

Frank Saunders is a Chief Forecaster at the Met Office. He said: “A low-pressure system will sweep in from the west during Friday evening and Saturday bringing strong north-westerly winds to Ireland and then parts of the UK; the strongest and most damaging winds will be felt across Ireland, prompting Met Eireann to name Storm Hannah on Thursday morning. We have issued a yellow wind warning for parts of the UK where we’re likely to see inland gusts of 45-55mph and stronger gusts of around 65-75mph in exposed coastal locations.
“Trees are coming into full leaf and many people will be on holiday, so the impacts of a late-April storm may differ subtly from one in mid-winter.”

The UK has been shielded from Atlantic weather systems by the large blocking area of high pressure which extended over northern Europe, including the UK, over the Easter holiday. This area of high pressure has broken down allowing these systems to make further headway into the UK. Frank added: “We’re going to see an unsettled period over the next few days, but the forecast for later next week indicates the return of high pressure, bringing more settled conditions.
“Storm Hannah will move away from the UK during Saturday followed by a transient ridge of high pressure bringing more settled weather to the UK for Sunday, good news for London Marathon runners.”
The Storm Naming project is a partnership between the Met Office and Met Eireann.
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