The Met Office has issued its rarest and most serious weather warning, a red warning for ‘damaging winds’ with there being a danger to life in several UK cities this weekend.
On Saturday, as many as seven cities will be hit with the red warning for wind from the Met Office between the early hours and the middle of the day.
The Met Office issued its most serious weather warning, a red warning, for wind from 3am on Saturday, December 7, lasting eight hours until 11am.
It is one of a slate of warnings across the UK which also include several amber and yellow warnings for rain and snow on Saturday and Sunday too, totalling 21 hours.
The Met Office said of its red warning: “Damaging winds associated with Storm Darragh are expected to cause significant disruption.
“Danger to life due to flying debris and falling trees. Large waves and beach material being thrown onto coastal roads, sea fronts and homes.
“Power cuts affecting other services, such as mobile phone coverage. Damage to buildings and homes, with roofs blown off and power lines brought down.
“Roads, bridges and railway lines closed, with delays and cancellations to bus, train, ferry services and flights.”
The UK cities within the area of the red weather warning, all in Wales and the South West, are Cardiff, Bristol, Swansea, Gloucester, St David’s, Newport and Bangor.
The full forecast adds: “A period of extremely strong winds will develop during the early hours of Saturday morning as Storm Darragh moves across the Irish Sea. Gusts of 90 mph or more are possible over coasts and hills of west and south Wales, as well as funnelling through the Bristol Channel with some very large waves on exposed beaches.
“The strongest winds will begin to ease from late morning, though it will remain very windy with amber wind warnings still in force until the evening.”
Most of England is placed under a yellow weather warning for wind on Saturday, while the North West coast faces a more serious amber wind warning, with Liverpool and the Lancashire and Cumbria coasts affected.
In Scotland, a snow warning is also in place alongside a rain warning.
The full list of 19 areas impacted by the red warning according to the Met Office:
South West England
Bath and North East Somerset
Bristol
Devon
North Somerset
Somerset
South Gloucestershire
Wales
Bridgend
Cardiff
Carmarthenshire
Ceredigion
Conwy
Gwynedd
Isle of Anglesey
Monmouthshire
Neath Port Talbot
Newport
Pembrokeshire
Swansea
Vale of Glamorgan
