The Met Office has issued amber weather warnings for wind for northern and western England, Wales, Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland from Sunday (January 21) into Monday (January 22).
A band of cloud and rain sweeping across the same areas will mean only south-east England is guaranteed prolonged dry spells today (January 20).
Forecasters then said there was a “risk to life” in coastal areas from large waves and debris being blown inland due to winds of up to 80mph, and yellow warnings for wind and rain coming into force on Sunday, covering much of the rest of the UK – mean flooding is likely.
#StormIsha has been named by the Met Office and is forecast to bring strong winds and heavy rain to the UK later on Sunday and into Monday
Stay #WeatherAware ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/BLC8jTpUC1— Met Office (@metoffice) January 19, 2024
The amber wind warnings also mean potential power cuts and loss of mobile phone signal in affected areas, while roads and bridges are likely to be shut and rail and bus services could face delays and cancellations.
For those who are inland, the Met Office said there could be travel disruption, damage to buildings and flying debris due to gusts of wind up to 60mph.
Map of flood warnings in England as Storm Isha to bring heavy rain
During a wet and windy weekend across northern England, the heaviest downpours are expected during Sunday as 30-50mm could fall in many places and there is potential for peaks of 80-100mm over hills.
Heavy rain could also lead to flooding and transport disruption on Sunday in Scotland, Wales and north-west England.
There are currently eight flood warnings in place (at the time of publication), according to the Environment Agency.
This means “flooding is expected” – check to see if one has been issued in your area:
- B1040 Thorney to Whittlesey Road to the South of the River Nene
- Groundwater flooding in the Bourne Valley – The Winterbournes
- Groundwater flooding in the upper Avon valley and the Nine Mile river
- Low lying properties in the Upper Hull catchment
- River Lambourn from Donnington to Newbury
- River Lambourn from Upper Lambourn to Great Shefford
- Roam Drain and River Hull at Hempholme
- The River Burn from South Creake to Burnham Thorpe
The Environment Agency has also issued 52 flooding alerts in England, meaning “flooding is possible.”
You can see the all flood warnings and alerts across the country on the interactive map here.
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Meanwhile, temperatures are set to rise after the recent blast of Arctic air brought snow and ice across much of the UK this week.
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The air which is pushing south into North America is making the jet stream more active, the Met Office said, and because it flows from west to east, it is bringing stormier weather to the UK.
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Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill, in an online forecast, said weekend “temperatures are going to be much higher than they have been”.
He said: “Quite widely we could see places reaching highs of 12C-13C but we need to factor in the strong winds, the rain, the cloud, and so it is not going to feel quite so warm as this might suggest.”
He added: “Temperatures will be on the mild side, lifting as we go through this weekend and staying mild through much of next week. There may be some chillier spells but I think that any frost is likely to be isolated if we see any at all.
“There could be some overnight fog, particularly where we see drier calmer weather towards the South East.”
Keep up to date with your local forecast on the Met Office website.
