Hurricane Katia’s tail set to lash parts of UK

Tour of Britain stage cancelled and M6 closed at Thelwall viaduct due to high winds, as Met Office warns of disruption, damage and flooding Transport links and power companies face disruption in Scotland and northern England from a final flick of the tail by Hurricane Katia. Katia has already claimed Monday’s stage of the Tour of Britain cycle race, between Kendall and Blackpool, which has been cancelled due to high winds. The M6, one of the UK’s busiest motorways, has been closed at the Thelwall viaduct in Cheshire because of high winds, with drivers advised to use the M61 as a diversion. Barton Bridge on the M60 Manchester outer ring road is also closed. Sharp gusts and the beginning of gales have been reported on the north-west coast and in Snowdonia, adding strength to Meteorological Office warnings of potential disruption, damage and flooding. The Met Office severe weather warning map for Monday has the whole of central and southern Scotland under an amber block denoting “be prepared”, which also stretches south into North Yorkshire and Cumbria. An area of pale yellow, meaning “be aware”, covers the rest of Scotland, Northern Ireland and England as far south as mid-Wales and Lincolnshire. The Met Office said that gusts topping 70mph (112km/h) could bring down trees and power lines in the amber warning area and the Environment Agency is warning of potential flooding on both the west and east coasts. Heavy rain accompanying the high winds also threatens flooding inland, including around Derwentwater in the Lake District – the source of the disastrous floods in Cockermouth and Workington two years ago. The agency has put the Yorkshire coast between Bridlington and Barmston on flood alert at high tide, with specific warnings about spray overtopping defences. Anglesey in north Wales has been given similar advice. Several miles inland from the island, Capel Curig in Snowdonia recorded winds of 73mph at 5am. The Met Office said: “The remains of Hurricane Katia are expected to come across the UK, bringing a spell of very windy weather. There remains some uncertainty about its track and intensity, though with increasing indications that Scotland and Northern Ireland are most likely to bear the brunt. “The public should be aware of the risk of disruption to transport and of the possibility of damage to trees and structures.” Storms potentially this strong hit the UK once or twice a year on average, with hurricane remnants rather more infrequent. Katia followed Irene as the second big storm of this year’s hurricane season, rating category four on an index that goes up to five. Billy Payne, forecaster for MeteoGroup, said: “The brunt of the the wind will go through central and southern Scotland, Northern Ireland, northern England and north Wales. Gusts are from 60-70mph in some places, possibly higher, especially in exposed places in parts of western Scotland, such as the islands and hilly areas. “It will be quite windy in the south of England, too, with gusts of 40-50mph. There will be quite a lot of rain, perhaps heavy outbreaks over the next couple of days.” The Scottish government held a meeting of its Resilience Room to check preparations for the storm, with contingency details from transport companies and power firms as well as emergency services. The Scottish transport minister, Keith Brown, said: “A great deal of work is already well under way to ensure Scotland is prepared for any potential disruption. Our multi-agency response team has been activated and extra power and transport staff are being moved into areas likely to be affected, and utility companies are contacting their priority customers. “Forecasts suggest travel conditions are likely to be difficult on Monday and Tuesday, but robust contingency arrangements are in place so people should not panic but should be prepared . For example, there is likely to be some disruption to roads, rail and ferry services, so travellers are advised to allow more time for journeys. “The high winds and heavy rain are expected to peak on Monday afternoon and evening, so commuters are advised that if they can leave work earlier that would be a very sensible step to help avoid rush-hour delays. We are all working hard to keep Scotland moving and I urge everyone to allow extra time for travel, avoid unnecessary risks and keep checking websites and local radio for real-time information.” Natural disasters and extreme weather Flooding Martin Wainwright guardian.co.uk

Posted by on September 12, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.