The Met Office has updated two of its weather warnings already announced earlier this week. Two yellow alerts for wind are set to be enforced on Thursday, as Britain braces for Storm Benjamin.
Storm Benjamin – named by Météo France – is expected to move from the English Channel to the North Sea during Thursday. One yellow warning affecting southeast England has been brought forward to 3am, to cover the onset of winds across Kent and Sussex, the weather agency said. The warning will now be in place between 3am and 11.59pm on October 23. There is a small chance of gusts of 40-45 mph across parts of Kent and Sussex arriving in the early hours of the morning and up to 55mph in coastal areas.
As Storm Benjamin then moves across the southeast of England, stronger northeast to northwest winds are likely to develop. Gusts of 50-60 mph are probable quite widely, with 65-70 mph possible near coasts. There is a smaller chance, should Storm Benjamin be stronger than expected, that wind gusts in excess of 70mph could develop for a time very locally, this most likely late morning and into the afternoon.
Another yellow warning, covering parts of Wales and southwest England, has instead been pushed back to 6am tomorrow, while the end time has been brought forward to 3pm. This is because peak wind speeds reduced slightly compared to previous issue, the Met Office said.
“Strong northwesterly winds could cause some disruption on Thursday,” The Met Office said on the warning affecting Wales and southwest England. It said that those affected by the warnings should expect some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport, longer bus and train journeys and the possibility of some isolated short-term loss of power.