With the UK reeling from the destruction left in the 107mph winds of Storm Isha, there are already warnings of a new storm coming in, with the Met Office in Ireland naming it Storm Jocelyn.
As the winds ease and the clean-up continues following Storm Isha, which has left at least three motorists dead across the UK and Ireland, Storm Jocelyn will bring strong 70mph winds and rain to much of Britain.
It’ll come as the Met Office warns of a strong jet stream pushing a large-scale, low-pressure system from the Atlantic across northern Scotland. bringing wet and windy weather for Tuesday night and into Wednesday for much of the northern half of the country.
Yellow weather warnings for wind and rain have been issued covering much of the UK, starting with a warning for rain at 7am on Tuesday until 6pm for south west Scotland. It is followed by a warning for rain in the Yorkshire Dales.
On Tuesday at 12noon, a weather warning for strong winds covers the Midlands, South Wales and north east England, before also covering the rest of north England and Scotland from 4pm – both warnings expire on Wednesday afternoon.
The amber warning, which warns of big waves and beach material being thrown onto coastal roads, for north west and northern Scotland lasts from 6pm on Tuesday until 8am on Wednesday.
Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Steve Willington, said: “Although this system will be a step down relative to Storm Isha, with the damage and clean up still underway, we could potentially see more impacts from Storm Jocelyn.
“Outbreaks of heavy rain on Tuesday could bring rainfall accumulations of 15 to 20 mm quite widely with 40 to 50 mm over higher ground in southwest Scotland, the Scottish Highlands and parts of northwest England. Wind gusts are expected to reach 55 to 65 mph across northwestern Scotland while there is potential for winds to gust to 75 to 80 mph in a few places, in particular exposed parts of the Western Isles and coastal northwest Scotland early on Wednesday morning.”
The winds will gradually ease through Wednesday but the weather continues to look changeable, with the drier and most settled conditions towards the south and east, and the most wettest and windiest conditions expected in the northwest.
Temperatures are expected to remain mild or close to average for the time of year.
Martin Thomson, national operations manager for resilience at Transport Scotland said: “The trunk road network is recovering well from the worst impacts of Storm Isha. Some roads and bridges do remain disrupted and so please continue to check before you travel until conditions improve and the clear-up is complete.
“Focus will soon shift to the next named storm, Jocelyn, for later this week, and preparations are already underway with rail, aviation and ferries colleagues to ensure we are as ready as we can be.
“Staff from our trunk road operating companies will be patrolling the network and undertaking inspections to respond quickly to any further treefall or blocked drains. Their proactive efforts in terms of branch cutting and drain clearing at vulnerable locations has helped minimise disruption in the past.
“Across the wider network, we can expect to see more delays and cancellations with ferries, flights and rail from Tuesday into Wednesday morning. Please check with your public transport operator for the latest information and your local authority and Police Scotland for the latest information on local roads.”
Storm Jocelyn, which arrives on Tuesday, will be the tenth named storm in five months and only the second time in a UK storm season that the letter J has been reached in the alphabet.
Waves break on the sea front in Blackpool.
A pensioner has died and thousands of homes remain without power after Storm Isha battered the UK.
Transport services were also disrupted with roads closed, rail lines blocked and flights diverted, while dozens of schools were shut on Monday.
Transport Scotland said a gust of 107mph was recorded on the Tay Bridge and the Met Office said the highest recorded wind speed during Storm Isha was 99mph at Brizlee Wood in Northumberland.
Amber warnings in place
Fallen tree in County Down
