Storm Agnes ‘intensifying quickly’ and will bring damaging winds amid warnings

The UK’s first named storm of the year is ‘intensifying quickly’ and will cause dangerous conditions along coastlines, the Met Office has warned.

Storm Agnes is set to hit the UK on Wednesday and a number of weather warnings have already been issued.

Wind speeds of up to 75mph are expected, which could cause dangerous conditions along the coast, especially the Irish Sea coastline.

Meteorologist Tom Morgan said: ‘Storm Agnes is now very much intensifying quickly about 1,000 miles or so away from the south-west of England, in the Atlantic Ocean, and it’s moving quickly north-eastwards towards the UK.

‘We are likely to potentially see some damaging winds, the possibility of some brief power interruptions, particularly in Irish sea coastal areas.

‘So Northern Ireland, north-west England, west Wales, and south-west Scotland, that’s where we’ll probably see gusts of up to 75mph tomorrow afternoon, tomorrow evening, that’s when the peak of the winds will be and then Storm Agnes will move across Scotland clearing away from Shetland through Thursday morning.

‘In addition to the winds, there’s going to be some large waves as well, so some big stormy seas, and therefore there might well be some coastal flooding where the waves break on to promenades and on to coastal roads.

There is a yellow warning for wind covering almost the entire UK, only excluding London, the south east and east Anglia, in place from midday on Wednesday until 7am on Thursday.

Two more localised yellow warnings for rain are in place from 3pm on Wednesday until midnight, covering central and south-west Scotland. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency waned this could cause flooding.

The RNLI has warned Storm Agnes will likely cause ‘dangerous conditions’ in coastal areas.

Spokesman Sam Hughes said: ‘The RNLI advises staying a safe distance away from the water and cliff edges as the conditions could knock you off your feet or wash you into the sea. It is not worth risking your life.

‘If you see someone else in danger in the water, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard.

‘If you have something that floats that they can hold on to, throw it to them. Don’t go in the water yourself – you may end up in difficulty too.’

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