Storm Lilian to hit on Friday
Storm Lilian has been named by the Met Office and will hit the UK early on Friday, bringing heavy rain and strong winds.
Whilst it is expected to move through very quickly, it will still be developing as it does so. As a result, there is still some uncertainty about the precise details surrounding the storm.
Even though confidence is high that there will be wet and windy weather sweeping through early on Friday, the exact intensity and location of the core of strongest winds is still proving tricky to pin down.
Weather warnings and impacts
Whilst all of the UK will see a wet and windy spell, the strongest and potentially most disruptive wind gusts will be across northern areas.
The Met Office has issued a yellow wind warning – which could be upgraded – for north Wales, northern England and the far south of Scotland, valid between 5am and 11am on Friday.
In the warning area, gusts will widely reach 50-60mph, with a possibility of gusts up to 80mph for the most exposed coasts and hills.
Wind this strong will have the potential to blow down trees, cause power cuts and travel disruption, as well as lead to some dangerously large waves for coastal areas.
The M6, A66 and A1(M) roads could be particularly vulnerable to strong cross winds – on a day when many people will be travelling for the bank holiday weekend.
There’ll also be some heavy rain sweeping across many parts of the UK, with the potential for localised flooding – especially parts of Scotland, where yellow rain warnings have been issued.
Why is it so unsettled?
The reason for the unsettled weather this week is the position and strength of the jet stream – a fast-moving ribbon of wind that sits around 30,000 feet in the atmosphere.
Not only has it been sitting over or south of the UK this week, but it’s also moving swiftly at around 160mph – a speed which wouldn’t look out of place in autumn.
This has caused numerous areas of low pressure to be created and then catapulted towards us in succession.
How unusual is this for August?
Wet and windy weather in August isn’t uncommon. For example, take last year, when there were two named storms in August.
Storm Antoni hit on 5 August. It blew trees onto railway lines in southwest England, caused homes in North Yorkshire to be evacuated due to flooding, and several events were cancelled.
Storm Betty followed on 18-19 August. This storm was less impactful for the UK, but it left 70,000 homes without power across Ireland.
What about bank holiday weekend?
Storm Lilian will have cleared away by Friday afternoon, with drier and brighter weather quickly following on behind.
For bank holiday weekend (except in Scotland), the unsettled weather is going to continue, with further showers or longer spells of rain – especially in the north and west of the UK.
After some wet weather on Saturday, southern and eastern parts of the UK will have some drier and brighter days into next week.
However, wherever you are, it’s going to feel cool and fresh. Dare I say it? It might even start to feel a little autumnal for some. I think it’s best if I leave it there for now…