Amber warning issued for Shropshire as Storm Francis moves across the country

The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for very strong wind across Shropshire, as Storm Francis gradually moves across the country.

Along with heavy rain, Storm Francis is bringing unseasonably strong wind gusts of 60 to 70mph. The amber wind warning is in force for Wales and central parts of England.

In this warning area gusts of 65-70mph could be seen inland. A larger yellow wind warning is in force for most of England until midday on Wednesday. Wind gusts of 64mph have already been recorded at Needles, Isle of Wight on Tuesday morning.

Chief Meteorologist Steve Ramsdale, said “Storm Francis arrived early on Tuesday morning, bringing another spell of wet and windy weather for the UK over the next few days. Wind speeds this strong are unusual during August and may come as a surprise to people spending time outdoors trying to catch the last few days of summer.

“A number of severe weather warnings have been issued and these warnings can be updated regularly so please keep up to date with the latest Met Office forecast.”

Sherry Woolgrove, Shropshire Council’s emergency planning officer, said:

“Following the Met Office warning, whilst we’re not certain at this time that we will see these dramatic weather conditions today, we want to make residents aware of potential impacts.

“With gusts of winds like this, we expect to see instances of branches and trees being brought down later today. As a result, we will see some temporary road closures as well as some disruption to rail networks. The gusty nature of the winds will make for difficult driving conditions and there is also a strong possibility that there could be damage to some buildings and structures.

“We are urging all everyone to take care and follow the latest weather updates.”

Storm Francis will clear to the East of the UK by Wednesday lunchtime, leaving a brighter and more settled outlook for the remainder of the day. After a showery day on Friday the Bank Holiday weekend should bring sunshine to most parts for a time with scattered showers before further unsettled weather is expected to move in from Tuesday next week.