Danger to life warnings in place as Storm Bram arrives

Credit: Elliot Norton

The night of Monday, the 8th and the morning of Tuesday, the 9th of December, saw the arrival of storm Bram, bringing with it strong, violent winds and heavy rain, which has led to widespread disruption.

The storm was officially deemed a major weather event, prompting the Met Office to issue a plethora of amber, yellow and red weather warnings across the UK and Ireland.

The Met Office’s week-ahead forecast outlined the severity of Storm Bram with increasing wind speeds predicted throughout Tuesday. “As Storm Bram Deepens, winds will strengthen through Tuesday. Gusts of 50 to 60mph are expected widely across the western parts of the UK, with 45-50 further East. Exposed Western coasts could see gusts of 70mph, and parts of Northern Ireland may experience stronger winds.”

Further north and Scotland could see wind speeds close to 80mph, with some more exposed areas facing 90mph winds. An amber alert will come into effect at 4 pm Tuesday, and whilst it was initially meant to be listed at midnight, it has since been pushed back to 3 am Wednesday.

The Met Office has also advised those in the affected areas to prepare their homes by checking for loose items outside their homes and making sure they are secured, as the predicted wind speed is set to climb. In addition, the Met Office advised that those in amber areas avoid travelling by road.

There has been widespread disruption across the UK, with the National Grid saying this morning that thousands of homes were without power.

In addition, over 80 flood warnings have been issued across Britain and in Hampshire, services such as buses, trains, ferries and flights were delayed. In Dublin and Belfast, flights were cancelled altogether.

In Winchester, winds are predicted to increase from 12 all the way to 20mph with gusts reaching upwards of 40mph, with the weather looking to calm down again into the night as we get closer to Wednesday.