Storm Ali: Met Office warns of ‘danger to life’ from severe weather as strong winds sweep across UK

Gusts of up to 80mph expected as warning raised to amber

Strong winds set to sweep across large parts of the UK on Wednesday could pose a danger to life, the Met Office has warned.

The weather service has advised people to watch out for debris, with Storm Ali likely to cause falling trees, flying branches and damage to buildings.

Travel disruption and power cuts are also expected after forecasters predicted winds of up to 80mph.

The Met Office has updated its wind warning from yellow to amber in Northern Ireland, Scotland, much of the north of England and parts of north Wales.

The area covered by the amber warning was expanded to include the north east of England.

Chief forecaster Laura Paterson said: “As this is the first spell of very strong winds of the season, and given that most trees are still in full leaf, we are likely to see some dangerous conditions with falling trees and flying branches and other debris likely.”

The amber warning will remain in place until 6pm on Wednesday, forecasters said.

Passengers have been warned the severe weather could cause transport problems throughout the day.

Irish airline Aer Lingus said it expected the storm to cause some disruption to schedules and advised customers to check flights before travelling.

Adam Reid, service delivery manager for Scotland at London North Eastern Railway (LNER), asked people to “ensure any trampolines and garden furniture are secured so they don’t blow onto railway lines".

On Tuesday hundreds of homes in Cornwall were left without power after winds of 55mph brought by Storm Helene hit the region.

But Wednesday will see even stronger winds of 65mph and 75mph across much of the warning areas, and gusts in coastal regions and high ground could reach as high as 80mph.

“Certainly we could see close to 80mph, possibly even higher miles per hour in exposed areas in the far north of the country,” Met Office meteorologist Dean Hall.

The wet and windy weather is set to continue for the rest of the week, with further strong winds and heavy rain expected across most parts of the UK.

A yellow rain warning has been issued for parts of Wales and north west England for Thursday.