Storm Agnes is expected to hit the UK today with winds of up to 80mph, according to the Met Office, after seeing “explosive” growth in the jet stream.
The Met Office has issued many weather warnings ahead of the arrival of Agnes, the UK’s first named storm of the season.
Yellow weather warnings have been issued for today (September 27) and tomorrow (September 28) since the weekend.
The storm had “explosive cyclogenesis” in the Atlantic, according to a Met Office statement Friday night.
“This occurs when there’s a rapid fall of pressure inside the centre of the low pressure and can lead to violent winds developing,” the weather service said.
The fast-approaching storm is expected to bring about commuter chaos, power outages and dangerous conditions along coastlines.
Meteorologist Tom Morgan said: “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.”
Meteorologist Jim Dale described the movement of the storm: “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 added: “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.”
The storm will impact Ireland first, then areas of the United Kingdom around midday.
Storm Agnes was defined by Morgan as “more widespread” than Storm Betty, the most recent designated storm to affect the UK.
Follow Save Britain for more updates on Storm Agnes.