Storm Otto: Met Office warns of 75mph winds as first named storm of the year hits UK
Parts of the UK could be hit by 75mph gusts as the country braces itself for the first named storm of the year.
Storm Otto is set to cause disruption to parts of Scotland and northeast England as it sweeps through on Friday.
Yellow weather warnings for wind have been issued for the whole of Scotland and a stretch of north and northeast England running from Sheffield to the Scottish border.
The Met Office said the storm, named by forecasters in Denmark, could bring “danger to life” due to flying debris from damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs.
Travel disruption is also expected. TransPennine Express warned customers to check their route before they travel, adding that trains between Berwick-upon-Tweed and Edinburgh will move at reduced speeds.
Otto will move eastwards across the far north of the UK until Friday afternoon.
Check the forecast in your area
Met Office chief meteorologist Andy Page said: “Storm Otto will bring high winds and rain to the UK, with some northern parts of Scotland and the northeast of England likely to get the strongest gusts of wind, possibly in excess of 75mph.
“There’s a chance of travel disruption and high-sided vehicles could be particularly prone to disrupted plans in this set-up. There’s associated rain with Storm Otto, with 40-50 mm of rain likely to fall over parts of western Scotland.”
Other potential impacts include the likelihood of large waves, especially on the North Sea coast, and a chance of some damage to buildings and infrastructure.
Read more
Sudden stratospheric warming event ‘now likely’
This year expected to be warmer than 2022 and one of the hottest on record
Otto is the first named storm to impact the UK, since the beginning of the current storm-naming season last September.
The Met Office’s first named storm of the season will be Storm Antoni.
After the storm has passed late on Friday, the rest of the weekend will be largely unsettled, according to the Met Office, with a mix of cloud and rain on Saturday.
