Amber warning for Cumbria as it prepares to be hit by two storms
Storm Dudley will cross the county tonight and into Thursday morning, with Storm Eunice set to arrive on Friday
Last updated 16th Feb 2022
Cumbria is set to be hit by winds of up to 90mph this evening, as Storm Dudley crosses the northern half of the UK tonight and into Thursday morning.
On Friday, there's also potential for snow in higher parts of the region, and strong winds as Storm Eunice hits.
A multi-agency response is being prepared ahead of the two storms. Cumbria Local Resilience Forum have held preparatory meetings to ensure that any response is coordinated to ensure communities can access any help and support they require.
The Cumbria Local Resilience Forum are on standby to deal with an major incident if needed.
Chair of the Local Resilience Forum Superintendent Matt Pearman from Cumbria Police said: “The Cumbria Local Resilience Forum have been meeting to prepare ahead of Storm Dudley and Eunice.
“All agencies are working together to ensure that our communities have access to the help and support they may require during the storms.
“We also ask that our communities prepare themselves ahead of Dudley and Eunice and make themselves aware of the key contacts and ensure any vulnerable people within our communities are also aware and prepared.”
Paul Bircham from Electricity North West, said: "We never know what the weather is going to bring, so we will have engineers ready to respond and repair the network.
"The engineers will be able to go out and make repairs to those lines, and very quickly, because they're ready to go."
"This could be damage to our overhead lines, that is caused by trees or wind blowing debris."
He also gave advice to customers: "We do ask customers to think about what their own preparations might be if they were to be affected."
"They need a battery operated torch, and that they know where that is and they check that their batteries are fully charged.
If they have a battery operated radio, it's the easiest way for us to get messages out to all of our customers if their is a significant incident caused by the weather."
Storm Dudley
Strong winds will cross western Scotland and Northern Ireland on Wednesday afternoon, pushing eastwards to northern England later in the day.
Wind gusts could reach up to 80mph in exposed coastal areas, with 60-70mph gusts possible further inland. A yellow warning for wind has been issued for much of central and northern areas of the UK, including Northern Ireland.
Embedded within that is an amber warning for southern and western Scotland, the north coast of Northern Ireland and northern England, where the strongest and most disruptive winds are expected.
Storm Eunice
Yellow and amber warnings for wind have been issued for Storm Eunice, which is going to impact much of the UK on Friday. The most significant wind gusts are expected in the south and west of the UK, with an amber warning now in force here from the early hours of Friday morning. Exposed coastal areas could see wind gusts in excess of 95mph, while inland areas could still see gusts to around 80mph, bringing the potential for fallen trees, damage to buildings and travel disruption.
Although Storm Eunice’s strongest winds will be on its southern edge, the northern flank of the system brings the potential for some snow to northern areas. A yellow warning for wind and snow has been issued covering Northern Ireland, northern England and southern Scotland, where potentially up to 20cm of snow could accumulate over high ground, with up to 5cm possible in some lower areas. Brisk winds in this area could cause blizzard-like conditions and drifting of lying snow, reducing visibility, and making driving conditions difficult.
Katharine Smith, Environment Agency Flood Duty Manager, said: “Strong winds could bring coastal flooding to parts of the west, southwest and south coast of England, as well as the tidal River Severn, in the early hours of Friday morning. This is due to Storm Eunice resulting in high waves and potential storm surge coinciding with the start of a period of spring tides.
“Please remember to take extreme care on coastal paths and promenades. We urge people to stay safe on the coast and warn wave watchers against the unnecessary danger of taking ‘storm selfies’. Flooding of low-lying coastal roads is also possible and people should avoid driving through flood water as just 30cm of flowing water is enough to move your car.