Strong winds expected Thursday before wintry Christmas showers

The warning is in place for Thursday with gusts expected to reach 50-60mph

Strong winds are expected across the north of England on Thursday (21 December) with the Met Office issuing a Yellow severe weather warning.

The warning is in place for the 24-hours of Thursday with gusts expected to reach 50-60mph.

The Met Office says wind speeds of 70-80mph “may be seen in some populated places.”

It adds the “exact areas and timing of the peak wind gusts speeds are yet to be fully determined, with a chance that this event could continue into Friday for some areas too.”

The Met Office advises:

• Prepare to protect your property and people from injury.
• Check for loose items outside your home and plan how you could secure them. Items include; bins, garden furniture, trampolines, tents, sheds and fences.
• Give yourself the best chance of avoiding delays by checking road conditions if driving, or bus and train timetables, amending your travel plans if necessary.
• People cope better with power cuts when they have prepared for them in advance. It’s easy to do; consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items.
• If you are on the coast, stay safe during stormy weather by being aware of large waves. Even from the shore large breaking waves can sweep you off your feet and out to sea. Take care if walking near cliffs; know your route and keep dogs on a lead. In an emergency, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.
• Be prepared for weather warnings to change quickly. When a weather warning is issued, the Met Office recommends staying up to date with the weather forecast in your area.

Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist, Helen Caughey, said: “Wind speeds will increase from the northwest through Wednesday evening and overnight, so that by Thursday there is a risk of  gusts of 50-60mph for a large swathe of central and northern parts of the UK. Coastal locations, higher ground, and areas to the east of high ground could see gusts of 70-80mph. Due to the scale of the low pressure to the north of the UK, it is possible this event could  persist across some areas into Friday, so we recommend keeping up to date with the Met Office forecast.”

Christmas weather

Through the weekend a band of rain sinks south, initially with colder, showery conditions to the north and milder, wetter conditions to the south. As this clears south, a ridge of high pressure is likely to briefly build from the south-west. Wintry showers continue to feed in across the north and here colder conditions also mean rural areas will likely see a frost on Christmas morning. This colder interlude is likely to be short lived, as milder, more unsettled Atlantic conditions look to return from the west later on Christmas Day or early on Boxing Day.

Helen continued: “As we begin Christmas Day wintry showers initially feeding in across the north in the colder air mass would technically make it a white Christmas, as we only need to see a single flake falling. Elsewhere, while it is likely at first to be mostly dry there is the potential for rain approaching from the west later on. As this moves east, we may see rain turning to snow, at least over high ground. It’s unlikely that we will see widespread or settling snow giving any proper accumulations. Although technically it might be a white Christmas, don’t get your hopes up for a picture-perfect white landscape.”

Further ahead 

Looking towards the New Year, the weather looks to remain unsettled with low pressure bringing breezy and wet conditions for many.