UK Weather Waves up to 34 feet to smash into Britain

UK Weather Waves up to 34 feet to smash into Britain



Britain faces a windswept weekend with 50mph gusts, 35ft wave swells and heavy rain as autumn begins to bite.

Forecasters have warned of flooding to homes, power cuts and delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport as an intense low pressure system from the Atlantic brings a swathe of strong winds over the South early on Saturday.

Gusts exceeding 50mph are expected widely within a severe weather warning area issued by the Met Office for southern England and much of Wales, and temperatures are unlikely to get above 59F (15C) all weekend.

Conditions will be a stark contrast to last weekend that saw temperatures reaching an unseasonable 72F (22C), with a peak of 74F (23.5C) on Monday making it the second warmest October day in the past six years.



Wave swells approaching 35ft could strike the South West coast of England at about 9am on Saturday - while they be as high as 50ft out in the Atlantic on Friday evening, according to graphics by forecasters Magic Seaweed.

A wave swell is the collection of waves moving away from a storm, with the height being an average of the largest third of all waves, measured from trough to peak. The waves then break as they hit the sea floor near the shore.



Speaking about today's still conditions, Met Office forecaster Oli Claydon said: 'At the moment the weather is completely normal for this time of year. We are experiencing a still period in between the more unsettled weather.

'An area of low pressure is moving in from the Atlantic and it will bring blustery conditions to South Wales and South West England. We are expecting wind speeds of between 40 and 50 and 60kmph at the coast.



'There will also be some rain. The worst of the weather will arrive through Friday night and into Saturday.'

The Met Office weather warning said: 'A spell of strong southwesterly winds is expected. Some coastal routes and communities are likely to be affected by large waves, with potential for flooding of properties.

'Some transport disruption is likely across the warning area, with delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport. Short term loss of power and other services is also possible.'

And the Met Office's chief forecaster added: 'Gusts exceeding 50mph are expected widely within the warning area. These are expected to coincide with high tides, leading to locally dangerous conditions.'



This weekend's blustery conditions come after Storm Ophelia caused disruption across Britain and Ireland, with three people dying in hurricane-force winds and more than 300,000 homes and businesses left without power.

Ireland and Northern Ireland bore the brunt of the storm, with Scotland facing 77mph gusts yesterday and flood warnings on its west coast as the remnants of the hurricane hit the country and northern England.

Train services were hit between Glasgow and Edinburgh, and from the capital to Aberdeen, Dundee and Perth, as trees were blown on to tracks. In Glasgow part of a derelict block of flats earmarked for demolition collapsed.

Meanwhile a scout hall roof was blown off in Dumfries and Galloway and high winds tore the roof from a house in Whitehaven, Cumbria, while part of the roof of a stand at National League team Barrow AFC was also ripped off.