Scotland's weather: Storm Helene 80mph winds warning

Winds of up to 80mph are forecast to hit Dumfries and Galloway from Monday night when the UK is battered by Storm Helene.
Scotland is set for high winds. Picture: PAScotland is set for high winds. Picture: PA
Scotland is set for high winds. Picture: PA

A yellow - "be aware" - warning, which also covers parts of South Ayrshire, was issued by the Met Office today.

It will be in force from 6pm on Monday to noon on Tuesday.

Storm Helene is heading towards the UK from the Atlantic and is separate from Hurricaine Florence, which is starting to hit the eastern United States.

A yellow be aware warning was issued by the Met Office today.A yellow be aware warning was issued by the Met Office today.
A yellow be aware warning was issued by the Met Office today.
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A Met Office spokeswoman said: "Storm Helene is expected to bring a period of very strong winds to western parts of the UK late Monday and for a time on Tuesday.

"It is expected to push north-east towards the UK late Monday, before clearing quickly to the north of Scotland through Tuesday morning.

"There remains large uncertainty in Helene's exact track, however a spell of very strong winds is expected, initially for parts of south-west England and west Wales, then later south-west Scotland and the south-east of Northern Ireland.

"Winds are likely to gust to 55-65 mph quite widely in the warning area, with possible gusts of 70-80 mph in exposure.

"Injuries and danger to life from flying debris are possible.

"Road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected, with longer journey times and cancellations possible.

"Some roads and bridges may close.

"Fallen trees may be an additional hazard.

"There is a small chance that injuries could occur from large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts.

"There is a chance that power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage."

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Storm Helene will not be changed to the first of this year’s UK and Ireland alphabetical storm names for the 2018-19 season - Ali - to avoid confusion.

The Met Office said when a storm that develops in the Atlantic was named by the US National Hurricaine Center in Miami, its name was retained if it hit the UK.