Met Office issues weather warning as Storm Agnes set to batter Wales

Strong winds and heavy rain are set to batter Wales as Storm Agnes sweeps across the UK from Wednesday morning.

Agnes, the first named storm of the season, will affect Wales, the west of England, and Ireland on Wednesday, with the most powerful winds expected on the Irish Sea coasts.

The Met Office issued a yellow warning for all of Wales for wind from 10:00 on Wednesday until 07:00 on Thursday.

Gusts of up to 80mph are possible in some places, with inland areas forecast to see gusts of 50 to 60mph.

A period of heavy rain in Wales starting late on Wednesday through into early Thursday may cause some flooding in a few places.

Stephen Dixon, a Met Office spokesperson, told the PA news agency: “The west of Wales could see about 20mm of rain and towards the South West (of the UK) a little bit less, but these showers could be fairly heavy in nature. Northern Ireland could see an excess of 30mm of rainfall in a relatively short period of time.”

Damage

Forecasters are also warning of the potential for some damage to buildings from strong winds, as well as the possibility of power cuts for some.

Transport disruption is also expected, with some roads and bridges likely to close.

Mr Dixon said: “There’s still some uncertainty on the exact track and positioning, and the strength of Storm Agnes as it moves in from the west. Stay up to date with the latest warnings because they’re fairly likely to be amended.”

Agnes is set to weaken later on Thursday as it moves further north in the UK, and more settled weather is expected for the weekend.