A warning has been issued to anyone with a garage as a severe wind storm touches down in the UK tonight.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for strong winds of up to 70mph covering 109 areas of the UK, particularly in England and Wales.
The forecaster is urging households to stay safe as the severe weather begins at 8pm tonight, Sunday September 14, and is expected to continue until 6pm on Monday, September 15 and could cause travel disruption, damaging gusts of wind, coastal waves and power outages.
The weather experts said in their forecast: “Strong west or southwesterly winds will arrive across coastal areas of southwest England and Wales during Sunday evening, then develop more widely inland during Monday morning. Gusts of 45-55 mph are expected widely inland, with gusts of 60-70 mph possible at times along exposed coasts and hills. Winds will only slowly ease from the west later in the afternoon and into Monday evening.”
As part of its advice for how to stay safe in a storm, the forecaster added that there’s several actions people living in the affected areas should take, including securing loose objects in gardens like furniture and ladders, and parking vehicles inside garages.
It also warned households of the importance of securing doors and windows on both your house and on your garage if you have one.
It said: “Close and securely fasten doors and windows, particularly those on the windward side of the house, and especially large doors such as those on garages.”
The advice continued: “Park vehicles in a garage, if available; otherwise keep them clear of buildings, trees, walls and fences.
“If the house is fitted with storm shutters over the windows then ensure that these are closed and fastened.
“Stay indoors as much as possible.”
It might sound like it’s over the top, but according to the forecaster, 184 people died in a 32 year period thanks to storms causing building failures.
It said: “Gales are the most common cause of damage and disruption in the UK.
“Between 1962 and 1995, 184 deaths alone were caused by building failures resulting from wind. The majority of damage reports come from domestic dwellings. The average cost of damage each year is at least £300 million.”