Storm Gertrude is likely to strike UK on Friday. The worst affected areas will be Northern Ireland and Scotland. The eye of the storm will pass just north of the British Isles early Friday. This will result in wet and windy conditions across the UK.
Northern Ireland and Scotland will face the worst of the storm with gusty winds, flooding rain, coastal flooding and travel disruptions being the major concerns. Gertrude will reach its peak strength during the wee hours of Friday. Strong winds will continue to hit Northern Ireland and Scotland throughout Friday but, will reduce in intensity as the day passes by. Wind gusts of upto 95 kmph are expected across the region. Stronger winds will impact western and northwestern coastline with wind gusts exceeding 120 kmph. The areas that will be in the firing line include the Northern Highlands, as well as the Hebrides and the Orkney and Shetland islands. This could cause power outages and tree damage across the region.
Rainfall over the region will be moderate to heavy with rainfall totaling upto 50 mm with localized totals of upto 75 mm. New flash flood warnings might be issued with the ground already saturated and rivers still running high. In UK, more than average rainfall has occurred in January.
Despite Gertrude moving away on Friday, more rains is expected during the weekend with major changes in the temperatures.
Image credit: thejournal.ie
