Amber weather warning as Storm Isha to hit with up to 80mph winds this weekend

The UK is set to get battered with more harsh weather as an amber weather warning is in place for strong winds this weekend.

We’ve seen – and definitely felt – temperatures plummet to below freezing this week as a blanket of snow covered the UK on Tuesday.

The blast of arctic air brought with it much disruption to transport as well as some school closures as commuters were advised to avoid travelling unless necessary.

Since then, we’ve been skating around like a penguin and scraping the car like it’s nobody’s business, but as temperatures are set to rise a little, we’ve received more rough news on the weather front.

Now the Met Office has placed the UK under a weather warning as Storm Isha is expected to bring 80mph gusts of wind on Sunday.

Forecasters have put a yellow warning in place for 24-hours from 12pm on Sunday until 12pm on Monday, and an amber warning in place from 6pm on Sunday until 9am on Monday.

Storm Isha is set to bring very strong winds which may pose injuries and even a ‘danger to life’ in some areas.

Flying debris could be thrown onto roads as well as beach material from large waves in coastal areas.

Frequent 50-60mph – and in some coastal places 80mph – gusts could cause damage to buildings in some areas and power cuts may occur.

Since storm naming began back in 2015, the furthest we have reached during storm season in the alphabet is the letter K, when Storm Kate was named in February 2016.

In 2022, Storm Eunice was the strongest storm to impact England and Wales since February 2014, with a record gust speed of 122 mph.

Naming storms helps communicate to the public when there’s a risk of severe weather and seems to have worked when forecasters want to spread the word.

Chief Meteorologist from the Met Office, Dan Suri, said: “Storm Isha will bring strong winds to the whole of the UK through Sunday and into Monday.

“The areas of particular concern are reflected by a large Amber severe weather warning which covers Northern Ireland, central and southern Scotland, Wales, much of northern England as well as southwestern parts of England.

“In these regions we could see gusts frequently between 50-60mph and even up to 80mph in exposed coastal locations. As the storm starts to move away on Monday morning very strong winds will also develop in the far southeast of England, bringing the risk of 70-80mph gusts here too in the early hours of Monday morning.”

He continued: “Storm Isha will bring a disruptive spell of weather to the UK with strong winds across the whole country. Heavy rain will cause additional hazards, particularly in the west.

“A number of severe weather warnings for rain have also been issued. Keep up to date with the Met Office warnings and pay close attention to guidance from your local authority.”

Storm Isha will ease off on Monday evening into Tuesday, although forecasters predict further wet and windy weather on the way.