Storm Abigail: winds of up to 90mph for Scotland

Today, the Met Office upgraded its weather warning to amber for the far north west of Scotland, warning that winds in the most exposed locations could gust to 90mph on Thursday night.

Storm Abigail is the first to be named in a new joint initiative by the Met Office and the Irish national meteorological service, Met Éireann.

It is hoped that the naming of storms will raise awareness of severe weather and ensure that key messages reach as many people as possible.

Amber “be prepared” warning

The amber “be prepared” weather warning for wind covers the far north west of Highland, along with the Western Isles and Orkney from 9pm Thursday until midday on Friday.

Gusts of wind in these areas will widely reach 70-80mph, with 90mph in the most exposed locations, giving a risk of damage and disruption.

Storm Abigail is described as a “vigorous depression” and is expected to pass just to the north west of Scotland, with the strongest winds on its southern and eastern sides.

A lower tier yellow “be aware” warning for wind covers a larger part of northern and western Scotland, warning of gusts of 70-80mph in places.

In addition to severe gales, lightning is expected to be a hazard, as heavy, frequent showers sweep in off the Atlantic.

Colder air will also arrive, meaning that the showers will turn to sleet and snow over the higher hills and mountains of Scotland for a time early on Friday.

Windy elsewhere

Even though the worst of the winds will just affect northern and western Scotland, Thursday night into Friday will turn windy elsewhere too.

Gusts over other northern parts of the UK will touch 40-60mph, with southern parts of the UK having gusts of 25-45mph.

Storm Abigail will move away towards Scandinavia quite quickly, meaning that the winds should subside notably during Friday afternoon.

November is a time of year that can often deliver stormy weather, as the temperature contrast between the North Pole and equator increases, boosting the speed of the jet stream, which in turn spawns areas of low pressure.

Don’t forget, you can get the latest forecast on the Channel 4 Weather website. I’ll also be posting updates on Twitter – @liamdutton

Images: Met Office, earth.nullschool.net