Storm Doris: Yorkshire braces itself for '˜weather bomb' as Sheffield records wind speed of 71mph

Severe weather warnings have been put in place for much of the country, with the North and Midlands urged to “be prepared” for winds of up to 80mph.

Met Office officials have already confirmed that wind speeds of 71mph have been recorded in Sheffield today - the strongest gust in South Yorkshire.

The wind speed was taken at the Met Office’s weather station in High Bradfield this morning.

A Met Office spokesman said this was taken as an average between 10am and 11am.

He added the average wind speed so far for the full day in High Bradfield was 51mph... but climbing.

He said: “The winds in High Bradfield have been steadily increasing so far. They are the fastest winds recorded in South Yorkshire.”

Elsewhere, a 94mph gust was recorded in North Wales and a wind speed of 82mph was recorded at RAF Valley in Anglesey, Wales.

The Met Office said the storm had “rapidly deepened” over the last 24 hours, undergoing an “explosive cyclogenisis” and making it a “weather bomb”.

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High winds and rain battered parts of Ireland and Wales early this morning with the Met Office now predicting that the storm is getting bigger with every mile it moves across the country. Almost the whole of England and Wales are now expected to be affected in some way with Yorkshire’s worst period expected to be early to mid afternoon.

The Highways Agency has warned motorists to take extra caution and released a list of roads where they believe Storm Doris could cause problems. (See list below)

“We have got a fairly active area of low pressure coming in from the Atlantic,” said Met Office forecaster Emma Sharples. “It is strengthening as it moves eastwards to the UK.”

The Met Office’s amber weather warning alerts people that “whilst the strongest winds look to be only short-lived, damage to structures, interruptions to power supplies and widespread disruption to travel networks are likely, with a danger of injury from flying debris. Trees are also likely to be damaged or blown over.”

It goes on to say: “Heavy rain is also likely through Thursday as well as some snow over high ground as the system clears eastwards. These may prove additional hazards.”

The Met Office says its “chief forecaster’s assessment” is that while there is still some uncertainty about the track of Storm Doris, there is “increasing confidence that there will be widespread disruption across parts of England and Wales”.

Transport delays

Planes: The scheduled British Airways 08.40am flight from Leeds Bradford Airport to London Heathrow was cancelled this morning due to high winds.

A Leeds Bradford Airport spokeswoman said: “We are keeping a close eye on the weather forecast and we ask that passengers look at our website but also contact their airlines if they have any other queries.”

Trains: Today’s Transpennine Express services between York and Newcastle have been cancelled. Virgin East Coast and Cross Country trains are still running on the section of line.

Northern Rail have said some services may be cancelled today.

A statement on Northern Rail’s website reads: “Storm Doris is expected to bring severe weather across the North.

“We will make every effort to run as many services as possible. However, some services may be cancelled and we expect journeys to take longer than usual due to speed restrictions on many lines.

“To help minimise disruption, you can use your ticket to travel on any train operator’s services running on the same route. Please be prepared, give yourself extra time and check before you travel at www.nationalrail.co.uk”

Train operator Grand Central has said speed restrictions are in place on some railway lines due to high winds and some journeys will be disrupted.

A statement on Grand Central’s website reads: “Grand Central services will be disrupted as follows due to a 50 mph speed restriction imposed by Network Rail: Some services between London Kings Cross and Bradford Interchange will start / terminate at Wakefield Kirkgate or Doncaster. Services between London Kings Cross and Sunderland may start / terminate at York or Doncaster. Services may start late and make additional stops.”

Services from London St Pancras and Euston have been cancelled.

Snow in Scotland

A weather warning for snow is also in place for Scotland, which could see treacherous blizzard-like conditions.

Storm Doris is expected to move on quickly, with the worst of the weather gone by Thursday evening. The Environment Agency warned there was a risk of localised flooding from Doris.

A spokesman said: “Rain on saturated ground on Saturday could also lead to flooding in some areas.

“Environment Agency teams are out on the ground clearing screens and will issue flood warnings and alerts where necessary.”

The agency said it was training new staff on how to deploy temporary flood barriers, but there were no plans to use them this week. While further Atlantic gusts will bring more rain and wind through the weekend and into next week, they are not expected to reach the heights of Doris.

Storms with the potential to cause substantial impact are named by the Met Office and Met Eireann, moving through the alphabet.

The first was named Abigail in November 2015, after members of the public suggested monikers for the “name our storms” project.

Forecasters are now in their second run through the alphabet. After Doris, Britons can expect to hear of Ewan, Fleur and Gabriel.

Storm Doris’s appearance contrasts with Monday’s temperatures, where visitors to Kew Gardens, west London, enjoyed the warmest day of the winter so far, at 18.3C (64.9F). Parts of London and the south of England had temperatures warmer than Ibiza, southern Spain and Menorca.

The Highways England sever weather alert is in place for the following roads in Yorkshire and the North East:

M1 J32 - M18 interchange

M1 J34 Tinsley Viaduct/Rotherham

M1 J39-J40 Crigglestone to Dewsbury

A628 Woodhead Pass

M62 J23-J25 Huddersfield to Brighouse

M62 J31-J32 Normanton to Pontefract

M62 J35a-J36 Rawcliffe Bridge, M18 interchange to J36 Goole

M62 J36-J37 River Ouse / Ouse Bridge

A1(M) J47-J49 Between A59 Knaresborough and A168 Dishforth

A1(M) J58-J65 Between A1 and Washington at J65

A66 Between M6 J40 - A1 (Scotch Corner)

A19 Hylton Bridge over River Wear

A19 Tees Viaduct

A19 Leven Viaduct

A69 Entire route Humber Bridge

Storm Doris bringing heavy rain and the risk of gales.

Today:

Heavy and blustery rain at first. A drier interval, with lighter winds is then likely, although gales and some rain could persist in the south, leading to disruption. Further rain and brisk winds then spread south later, with showers following. Maximum Temperature 8 °C.

Tonight:

Brisk north to northwesterly winds will ease overnight with clear spells possible, but also isolated wintry showers. Feeling cold, with the risk of icy patches. Minimum Temperature 0 °C.

Friday:

A cold morning, with sunny spells and any wintry showers easing. However cloud will thicken from the west during the afternoon, with persistent rain moving into the Pennines by dusk. Maximum Temperature 7 °C.

Outlook for Saturday to Monday:

Cloudy, mild but windy Saturday, with further rain, heavy at times. Drier start Sunday, before further strong winds and rain gradually spread east. Colder Monday with sunny spells and showers.