Storm Agnes is ‘rapidly intensifying’ and is poised to bring damaging winds and turbulent seas to the UK and Ireland, according to the Met Office.
The agency has issued a series of weather warnings in anticipation of the arrival of the season’s first named storm on Wednesday.
The storm is forecasted to hit the west coast of Ireland, with winds beginning to intensify in the UK around 12pm. There are concerns about possible disruptions to ferry services crossing the Irish Sea, potential bridge closures, power outages, and the likelihood of minor structural damage to buildings
Projections indicate winds could reach speeds of up to 75mph, with particular concern for hazardous conditions along coastal areas, especially those bordering the Irish Sea.
Meteorologist Tom Morgan conveyed this information to the PA news agency: Storm Agnes is now very much intensifying quickly about 1,000 miles or so away from the south-west of England, in the Atlantic Ocean, and it’s moving quickly north-eastwards towards the UK.”
“We are likely to potentially see some damaging winds, the possibility of some brief power interruptions, particularly in Irish sea coastal areas,”
“So Northern Ireland, north-west England, west Wales, and south-west Scotland, that’s where we’ll probably see gusts of up to 75mph tomorrow afternoon, tomorrow evening, that’s when the peak of the winds will be and then Storm Agnes will move across Scotland clearing away from Shetland through Thursday morning.”
He went on to say: “In addition to the winds, there’s going to be some large waves as well, so some big stormy seas, and therefore there might well be some coastal flooding where the waves break on to promenades and on to coastal roads.”