Amber and Yellow National Severe Weather Warnings for wind and rain are currently in place for large swathes of the country both for today and for Monday. The deep area of low pressure, named Storm Ashley by Met Éireann, is tracking north-eastwards across the country.
Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Steve Willington, said: “We could see disruption today and tomorrow, particularly across parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, Northern England and West Wales, due to the very strong winds and heavy rain associated with Storm Ashley. In addition, the strong winds will coincide with high spring tides, which brings the risk of flooding, especially around the coasts of northern and western Scotland and the northern Irish Sea.”
“On Sunday, gusts of 60-70 mph are possible across the west of Northern Ireland and perhaps as high as 70-80 mph in exposed parts of western Scotland. Elsewhere within the warning areas, gusts of 50-60 mph will be more typical. It will remain very blustery into Monday morning across the northern half of the UK after which time winds will ease off.”
“It is important that people stay up to date with the latest forecast and our warnings.”
An Amber weather warning for wind has now come into effect in association with #StormAshley ⚠️ ⚠️
Stay #WeatherAware and take care whilst travelling today
Find all the latest info 👉 https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfs pic.twitter.com/Vqez9pnxi0
— Met Office (@metoffice) October 20, 2024
Head of Transport Resilience at Transport Scotland, Ashleigh Robson, said: “Storm Ashley is set to bring widespread disruption for travel on Sunday and into Monday. Passengers should certainly check with their operator, and with some families off enjoying the October school holidays, we would advise them to play close attention to any cross-border travel updates too.
“The Multi Agency Response Team will be in position to take decisions, oversee the network, and advise the public and update Ministers over the weekend as the storm sweeps into parts of Scotland.
“The strong winds may cause particular difficulties for HGVs and we would urge drivers to take note of the conditions, debris on the roads and trees falling onto some roads is a strong possibility. The forecasted rain will make visibility difficult when driving and could result in some localised flooding.
“Disruption on ferry services is very likely, rail services and flights may also be impacted. Please check with you transport operator for the latest information. The decision to cancel services is never taken lightly, but safety of passengers has to be the priority. Please plan ahead. The latest information on the trunk road network is always available at www.traffic.gov.scot.”
Further Ahead
Winds will ease somewhat as Storm Ashley pulls away to the northeast on Monday, leaving a mix of sunny spells and scattered showers, although some more persistent rain may just fringe into the far southeast. After a quieter interlude on Tuesday and Wednesday with just a few showers, it is likely to turn unsettled again later in the week with some heavy rain and possibly strong winds in places.
You can find the latest forecast on our website, on YouTube, by following us on X and Facebook, as well as on our mobile app which is available for iPhone from the App store and for Android from the Google Play store.
In Europe, the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands work together as the western storm naming group and storm names are compiled jointly between Met Éireann, the Met Office and KNMI (The Dutch national weather forecasting service). Find out more about naming storms in the UK here.
