Storm Elin brings strong winds and heavy rain to parts of UK and Ireland
Storm Elin is bringing strong winds and heavy downpours to parts of the UK and Ireland.
Warnings were issued for much of the UK on Saturday – with potential flooding and disruption on roads and public transport. Areas facing the Irish Sea could get 70mph winds, while 55mph is possible in the Midlands, northern England and Northern Ireland, the Met Office said. The weather system has been named Storm Elin in Ireland – which has issued its own warnings and is expected to see the worst conditions.
Get the latest weather where you are Heavy rain alerts are also in force along a broad corridor from Derbyshire up to Cumbria until 3am on Sunday. Staffordshire Police said it had received “multiple reports of fallen trees and poor road conditions” due to high winds.
Large parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland were also under rain warnings for most of Saturday. The Met Office said up to 8cm (3.1 inches) of rain could fall in some areas. Thirty three red flood warnings (flooding expected), including for the River Ouse in York, and 201 less serious flood alerts (flooding possible) are also in place in England.
There’s a second storm – named Fergus – heading for Ireland and expected to hit on Sunday afternoon. More very strong winds are forecast, as well as large waves on the coast. It’s expected to particularly affect Clare, Galway and Mayo in the west.
Sunday is set to be calmer in most places in the UK, with just one warning for heavy rain in northern England and the Midlands. “We’re in for a wet and windy weekend. There’s a possibility of flooding because of the already saturated ground,” said the Met Office’s Stephen Dixon.
“By the afternoon most of the heavy wind and rain will have passed and it will just be showers for southern areas,” he added. “We will also be seeing some quite strong winds in Wales, the Midlands, northern England and Northern Ireland, particularly coastal communities around the Irish Sea.” It comes about a week after some areas – such as Cumbria and the North East – saw significant snowfall and freezing temperatures.
(c) Sky News 2023: Storm Elin brings strong winds and heavy rain to parts of UK and Ireland[1]