Storm Betty to bring heavy rain and 70mph winds amid UK weather warnings
Gusts up to 70mph to hit Irish sea coasts, Met Office warns
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Storm Betty could bring strong winds, heavy rain and flooding across Ireland, forecasters have warned, as a yellow weather warning is also issued for other parts of the UK.
The second named storm of the year, announced by the Irish weather service, Met Éireann on Friday, is expected to lash Northern Ireland with up to 80mm of rain, along with heavy downpours and thunder.
The Met Office has said thunderstorms will also develop in southern and eastern areas of England.
It has imposed a yellow warning for wind across coastal areas of west Wales, eastern Northern Ireland and parts of northwest England and southwest Scotland.
Rain warnings have also been issued from late Friday and into Saturday for Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland.
Buildings could be damaged by flooding and lightning strikes, while homes could also lose power “for a short time”. The Met Office said trees could be brought down leading to train cancellations and warned of likely travel delays.
There are currently five yellow weather warnings across the UK for Saturday.
Met Office Chief Meteorologist Jason Kelly said: “Friday and Saturday will see unseasonably wet and windy conditions for much of the UK. While Storm Betty will have higher impacts in Ireland, exposed Irish Sea coasts of the UK could see gusts in excess of 70mph, with around 50mph more widely.
“Storm Betty is also bringing some large accumulations of rainfall for the time of year, with some spots of Northern Ireland seeing around 80mm of rain, though between 15-25mm is expected more widely. Parts of Scotland could see similarly high accumulations, especially over higher ground.”
Holidaymakers beginning their summer getaway are advised to check the Met Office app and social media channels for updates and brace themselves for longer journey times.
Marquees and tents that may be used by campers in Snowdonia could also fall down in the gusts while caravans and lorries may struggle on some roads, the Met Office warned.
Mr Kelly added: “While many within the thunderstorm warning areas may see relatively little rainfall, there is the potential for a few places to see around 20-40mm of rain within an hour, and possibly around 40-60mm over three hours.
“Large hail and frequent lightning are additional hazards for the likely overnight thunderstorms in eastern areas of England.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments