Latest
BRITAIN BATTERED
Storm Isha sparks amber ‘danger to life’ alert with 70mph winds and heavy rain to batter Britain as warnings cover UK
Torrential rain is expected across Britain - how's your area affected?
STORM Isha has sparked an amber "danger to life" alert as the Met Office warns 70mph winds and heavy rain will batter Britain.
Brits are warned the country will be hit by "very strong winds" which could spark severe travel disruption.
10
10
10
10
The Met Office warned the storm is likely to cause injuries and danger to life especially to coastal areas.
The country could also see power cuts and severe damage to buildings, forecasters warned.
The amber warning is in place from 6pm on Sunday until 9am on Monday.
Spells of heavy rain are joining forces with robust winds taking centre stage in Wales.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Forecasters predict a torrential downpour to hit over the hills - where rain is expected to fall widely.
Snowdonia will witness substantial rainfall raging between 20-50mm - with potential peaks reaching up to 100mm in coastal areas.
Yellow alerts for snow and ice are still in place in Scotland where wintry showers threaten to disrupt travel.
Northern Scotland and the Northern Isles are under extended warnings at least until today.
Most read in The Sun
The amber cold health alert, issued by the UK Health Security Agency, will remain in place until Saturday at noon.
Experts fear it will cause a possible impact on the health and social care sector.
Met Office deputy chief meteorologist David Hayter said: "Conditions will stay cold on Friday but a change in weather type is on the way, bringing milder air for the UK during the course of the weekend.
"This change will initially be relatively benign in terms of weather impacts, with a dry Friday and start to Saturday for many in the south of the UK.
"The Atlantic influence will then introduce some wet and windy weather, with a deep area of low pressure approaching from the west on Sunday."
Flights at Sumburgh Airport, Shetland, have been cancelled as a result of the dangerous conditions this morning.
A spokesperson confirmed that flights departing from Sumburgh and arriving from Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Inverness via Kirkwall have been grounded.
They said: "Following our earlier update, all flights are now cancelled for the remainder of the day.
"The airport and terminal building will be closing at 14:30. We advise customers to contact their airlines for information on tomorrow's flights."
The intense gusts have also caused severe disruption among train commuters.
South West Railway has been forced to impose speed restrictions across their journeys at least until Monday.
The company warned travellers to expect "short notice alterations and cancellations" throughout the weekend.
Despite the severe gusts, warmer temperatures are expected to arrive this weekend.
Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said: "Quite widely we could see places reaching highs of 12C-13C but we need to factor in the strong winds, the rain, the cloud, and so it is not going to feel quite so warm as this might suggest.
"Temperatures will be on the mild side, lifting as we go through this weekend and staying mild through much of next week.
"There may be some chillier spells but I think that any frost is likely to be isolated if we see any at all.
"There could be some overnight fog, particularly where we see drier calmer weather towards the South East."
Although Friday is expected to be breezier with more cloud in places, lows of -10C will again be likely in some northern areas.
Storm Isha marks the earliest point the UK has reached the letter "I" in the storm alphabet.
The only other storm named with letter "I" was Storm Imogen in which struck in February 2016 - with strong winds to south Wales and southern England.
Forecasters began naming them since 2015 - with the furthest letter being "K" with Storm Katie in 2016.
The UK has been hit with several storms only this winer season - with many causing severe damage and travel disruption.
Last year, Brits were battered with strong winds across a large swathe of the country caused by Storm Pia.
And soon after, Storm Debi triggered danger to life warnings - with 80mph winds and flooding.
As we welcomed the 2024, Storm Henk brought torrential showers and blisteringly strong gales across the country.
PREVIOUS STORM NAMES
Storms get named when they are deemed to have the potential to cause "medium
Strong winds, impacts from rain and snow are the factors considered when naming a storm.
Forecasters name storms as a way to communicate the risks of severe weather.
- Agnes (September 2023)
- Babet (October 2023)
- Ciaran (November 2023)
- Debi (December 2023)
- Elin (December 2023)
- Fergus (December 2023)
- Gerrit (January 2024)
- Henk (January 2024)
- Isha (January 2024)
It comes as police launched a probe after a newborn baby girl was found in a shopping bag dumped on the street in freezing temperatures.
A dogwalker made the horrific discovery last night in Newham, East London.
On Thursday, all schools in Shetland and Orkney were closed amid the wintry conditions.
Read More on The Sun
In Aberdeenshire around 130 schools were shut while others had delayed openings.
The UK had its coldest night of the winter so far on Tuesday into Wednesday, when Dalwhinnie in the Scottish Highlands experienced a temperature of -14C.
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR HOME FROM A STORM
Ahead of Storm Isha's 50mph gusts and heavy rain, Brits need to protect their homes to avoid severe damage.
Insurers Storm Hub have revealed the top tips to secure your home amid the below-zero temperatures.
- Put away garden furniture and trampolines
- Secure loose objects like ladders or other objects that could be blown into windows
- Check fences are secure
- Park vehicles in a garage or move away from fences/walls/trees
- Have a plan in case of flood
- Check insurance cover
10
10
10
10
10
10
Topics