Storm Betty to bring very strong winds to West Wales

Storm Betty is the second named storm of the year after Storm Antoni brought unseasonably strong winds to South West Wales earlier this month.

The weather warning lasts from 6pm on Friday (18 August) to 12pm on Saturday and covers western parts of Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion.

Forecasters are warning people of the potential for injuries and danger to life from flying debris along with the possibility of some damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs.

The warning also says people should be prepared for the possibility of disruption to road, rail, air and ferry services with longer journey times and cancellations possible. 

Power cuts may also occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage. 

The Met Office is also warning people to take care close to the coastline, as large waves and beach material could be thrown onto seafronts, coastal roads and properties.  

Met Office Chief Meteorologist Jason Kelly said: “Friday and Saturday will see unseasonably wet and windy conditions for much of the UK. While Storm Betty will have higher impacts in Ireland, exposed Irish Sea coasts of the UK could see gusts in excess of 70mph, with around 50mph more widely.

“Storm Betty is also bringing some large accumulations of rainfall for the time of year, with some spots of Northern Ireland seeing around 80mm of rain, though between 15-25mm is expected more widely. Parts of Scotland could see similarly high accumulations, especially over higher ground.”

Betty is the second storm named by the storm naming group of Met Éireann, the Met Office and KNMI following Storm Antoni earlier in August.

This is the second time since storm naming was introduced in 2015 that two storms have been named in August, following Ellen and Francis in August 2020.

(Lead image: Met Office)