The Met Office and Met Eireann have issued weather warnings as newly-named Storm Brendan heads to the UK. Met Éireann has issued orange weather warnings for the entirety of Ireland on Monday, coming into effect at 5am for Connacht, Kerry and Donegal and 8am for the rest of the country.
The forecaster warned southerly winds veering southwesterly will reach speeds of 40 to 52mph with gusts of 68 to 80mph, highest in coastal areas.
This storm has been dubbed a “double weather bomb” due to the Met Office showing the storm strengthening with air pressure plunging by around 48 millibars in 24 hours.
This is double the 24 millibars needed to qualify as a “weather bomb”.
The Met Office has also issued yellow weather warnings, spanning both Monday and Tuesday.
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Met Office meteorologist Frank Saunders said: “The UK and Ireland will turn increasingly windy on Monday, as Storm Brendan approaches, and there’ll also be some heavy rain.
“It’s going to be particularly windy across the western half of the UK, with gusts reaching 60-70 mph along Irish Sea coastlines, the west of Scotland and perhaps some English Channel coasts – maybe even 80 mph in a few exposed places.
“This is likely to cause some disruption to sea, road and air travel.”
On Monday, the Met Office has issued a warning which spans along the entirety of the west of the UK and much of Northern Ireland.
“A narrow band of squally heavy rain moving east, accompanying the strongest winds, may be an additional hazard.”
This warning is for Central, Tayside and Fife, Grampian, Highlands and Eilean Siar, London and South East England, North West England, Northern Ireland, Orkney and Shetland, SW Scotland, Lothian Borders, South West England, Strathclyde and Wales.
A second Met Office warning for wind is in place on Tuesday, with the weather experts warning: “Southwesterly winds are expected to strengthen across much of England and Wales during Tuesday afternoon and evening.
“Gusts of 40 to 50 mph are expected quite widely inland, with exposed coasts and hills having gusts of around 60 mph, perhaps locally 70 mph. Heavy rain may be an additional hazard in places.
“Winds will ease from the west during Tuesday night.”
This warning starts at 12pm on Tuesday and is in place until 11.59pm the same day.
The Met Office warns there is some risk of delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport as well as a danger of power outages.
The areas impacted by this warning are East Midlands, East of England, London and South East England, North East England, North West England, South West England, Wales, West Midlands and Yorkshire and Humber.