Yellow warning for wind as Storm Freya approaches

A yellow warning for wind has been issued for Sunday (3 March) and Monday (4 March) with the approach of Storm Freya.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for wind from 3pm on Sunday to 6am on Monday with strong winds and gusts of up to 60mph across the region.

Storm Freya is expected to push quickly north-east across parts of England, Wales and southern Scotland through Sunday afternoon and evening, before clearing into the North Sea through the early part of Monday.

Gusts of 55-65 mph are likely widely, with the potential for gusts of 70-80 mph for coastal parts of Devon and Cornwall, as well as Irish Sea coasts of Wales and north-west England.

The region’s power network operator, Electricity North West is on hand and prepared for the storm.

Strong winds can cause power cuts by blowing debris into overhead power lines or bringing lines down. In response, Electricity North West has increased the number of engineers on standby with colleagues across the organisation monitoring the forecast and poised to respond.

Mark Mercer, network systems manager at Electricity North West, said: “Over the weekend, we’ll be closely monitoring the weather to ensure any damage is repaired and power returns as quickly as possible if it does go off.

“We’d urge people that if they do see any damage to our overhead power lines, please stay away and report it to us straight away so we can repair it safely. As always, we work around the clock during incidents like this, and are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week if customers need any help or advice.”

What to expect

• Injuries and danger to life from flying debris are possible
• Some damage to buildings and trees, such as tiles blown from roofs and fallen branches, could happen
• Road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected, with longer journey times and cancellations possible
• Some roads and bridges may close
• Power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage
• Injuries and danger to life could occur from large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties

Electricity North West offers extra support to customers through their Priority Services Register. For more information and to register, visit: www.enwl.co.uk/priority

Customers can stay safe and prepare themselves in the event of potential power cuts by following the simple advice here: www.enwl.co.uk/power-cuts/helpful-tips

You can view any live power cut information in the region on Electricity North West’s website (www.enwl.co.uk/power-cuts/live-power-cut-information/) or get in touch on social media or by calling 105.