Storm Arwen: Red 'danger to life' weather warning issued

26 November 2021, 10:57 | Updated: 26 November 2021, 12:18

The Met Office has issued red weather warnings for winds which could cause "flying debris resulting in danger to life" as Storm Arwen approaches the UK.

The red warning is in place on the east coast of Scotland until Saturday, as the UK braces for Storm Arwen to batter its coasts.

According to the Met Office, winds could cause damage to buildings and homes including blowing off roofs and bringing down power lines.

Roads and bridges are also expected to be closed with widespread travel disruption.

Winds are forecast to reach in excess of 90mph with large waves threatening to dump beach material onto roads, homes and sea fronts.

There are also amber warnings in place for wind, as well as yellow warnings for snow, which could create blizzard conditions.

Strong winds are expected to bring severe disruption to the east coast from Aberdeen to Newcastle this evening.

Snow is forecast in Scotland, parts of northern and central southern England.

Motorists are being warned to expect severe disruption in Scotland as Storm Arwen lands on UK soil, with warnings coming into affect at 3pm this afternoon.

A red warning is the most severe alert given out by the Met Office.

Read more: Extinction Rebellion blockade Amazon depots in Black Friday protests

Graeme Dey, Scottish Minister for Transport, said: "The whole country is going to see blustery conditions, but the Met Office is telling us that eastern parts of Scotland in particular are going to see some difficult weather."

Mr Dey added: "There is the potential for disruption on the roads, especially on bridges, and people should check the latest information before they set off, drive to the conditions and follow Police Scotland advice. The Traffic Scotland service gives details of 'wind based' closures for the bridges on trunk road network, allowing people to plan ahead accordingly.

"Motorists should check Traffic Scotland before they set off to make sure that their route is available. The Traffic Scotland mobile website - my.trafficscotland.org - lets people get the latest information on the move and Traffic Scotland twitter page is updated regularly.

"The conditions are also likely to lead to disruption on other modes of transport, so we are urging people to take the weather into account if they are planning to travel on trains, ferries and flights."

Read more: Four boys arrested on suspicion of murder of 12-year-old girl in Liverpool

The storm is approaching from the North Sea, and will begin to travel south before winds ease on Sunday.

Weather alerts cover almost the whole of the UK on Saturday, with amber alerts in Scotland, northern and southwestern England.

The Met's advice for amber warnings states debris "is likely and could lead to injuries or danger to life."

The strong winds are likely to cause power outages and disruption to mobile phone coverage.

The Met Office said temperatures would plummet to below average over the weekend.

Will Lang, head of civil contingencies at the Met Office, said: "The UK will see temperatures drop to below average in the coming days, as cold air is drawn in from the north. This is coupled with the strong winds associated with Storm Arwen, which means it will feel especially cold in the wind.

"Areas in the north will see temperatures below freezing overnight, with daytime maximum temperatures only getting into the low single figures.

"It's important to note that strong wind speeds, in excess of 65mph in exposed locations, will exacerbate the cold temperatures we'll be seeing over the weekend."