UK storm as seen from space

1 – The view from space

The satellite image below from Eumetsat shows the storm passing to the north of the UK. You can see the cloud swirling around a cloudless area, which marks the centre of the storm.

2 – Top wind gusts so far

As forecast, the strongest gusts of wind have been in northern parts of the UK, with Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England bearing the brunt of the stormy weather;

Tiree – 81mph

South Uist – 79mph

Islay: Port Ellen – 77mph

Malin Head – 74mph

Machrihanish – 73mph

High Bradfield – 70mph

3 – When will the winds peak?

The winds are expected to peak during the afternoon and early evening, with further gusts of 60-70mph for northern parts of the UK. Coasts and hills will see gusts around 80mph.

Further south across the UK, gusts of 45-55mph are possible locally, but for many places gusts will be less than this.

The strong winds will then gradually ease through tonight and tomorrow, as the storm pushes further eastwards and its influence on us lessens.

4 – What impacts are expected?

The latest Met Office warnings highlight that the stormy weather will bring the potential for disruption to power and travel, as has been the case already across the Western Isles of Scotland.

There is also the possibility that some trees could be damaged. However, with many trees now leafless, they tend to be less prone to getting blown down than in autumn, due to not having leaves acting as sails to catch the wind.

The stormy weather is also expected to generate some very large waves, which will bring the risk of localised coastal flooding to the north coast of Northern Ireland, as well as northern and western Scotland.

5 – Is there more windy weather to come?

Another area of low pressure will sweep across England and Wales during the early hours of Friday, bringing heavy rain and brisk winds.

However, this particular area of low pressure will not have undergone explosive cyclogenesis, with gusts expected to be a notch down on today’s storm.

Gusts of 50-60mph are possible inland, with 70mph along exposed southern coastal areas.

There is also a risk of snow over parts of northern England for a time, as the northern edge of the rain brushes with colder air.

Most of the snow is expected to be across the Pennines, although there could be some at sea level temporarily.

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