Significant impacts from Storm Eunice are still being felt across southern and central areas of the UK as the low-pressure system moves eastwards.
Red Warnings have now expired but continued disruption is expected with an Amber Warning for wind continuing until late on Friday evening.
Met Office Chief Meteorologist Steve Ramsdale said: “Impacts will continue from Storm Eunice until late on Friday night, with continued high winds, especially in coastal areas.
“We are still seeing gusts in excess of 70 mph in places across England and Wales though overall winds are now easing from their earlier peak associated with Storm Eunice. Winds of this strength are likely to continue to damage buildings and trees with large waves around the coasts.
“It’s worth noting that despite the gradual easing of winds overall further impacts are likely from wind gusts continuing to reach 70 mph inland.”
The highest wind gust so far for Storm Eunice was 122mph at Needles on the Isle of Wight, although this is a particularly exposed station and is not representative of much of the wind seen elsewhere in the UK. This provisionally represents an England national record for highest one-off wind gust recorded. Elsewhere, the highest wind gusts for Storm Eunice have been provisionally reported as between 80mph and 90mph.
National Highways Head of Road Safety, Jeremy Phillips, said: “We’re encouraging drivers to check the latest weather and travel conditions before setting off on journeys and consider if their journey is necessary and can be delayed until conditions improve. If you do intend to travel, then plan your trip and take extra care, allowing more time for your journey.
“In high winds, there’s a particular risk to lorries, caravans and motorbikes so we’d advise drivers of these vehicles to slow down.
“Drivers of other vehicles should be aware of sudden gusts of wind which can affect handling and braking, and give high-sided vehicles, caravans, and motorbikes plenty of space. In the event of persistent high winds we may need to close bridges to traffic for a period, so please be alert for warnings of closures and follow signed diversion routes.”
