Met Office warning: Heavy rain and gales a 'DANGER TO LIFE’ - UK weather latest
THE Met Office has issued a ‘danger to life’ weather warning as heavy rains and strong winds batter parts of the UK - here are the latest updates.
Met Office: Heavy showers to hit UK as temperatures plummet
The Met Office forecast wind gusts of up to 65mph and “heavy rain” for Tuesday, with predictions of up to 50mm falling in some places. The weather service issued a yellow ‘danger to life’ weather warning between 5am and 9pm tonight for London, southeast and southwest England, and Wales. The warning states: "Rain, heavy at times, on Tuesday giving difficult driving conditions. Windy too, especially in coastal areas.”
In Cornwall, winds were so strong they managed to run a 16,000-tonne Russian cargo ship with 18 crew on board onto the Cornish coast.
The Kuzma Minin grounded off Gyllyngvase Beach in Falmouth at about 5.40am today in what was described as "extreme" and "horrific" weather.
Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern said: “Windy for most of us, and gales around coastal parts of the west and increasingly wet in the west as well.”
He added: “Outbreaks of rain, some heavy rain moving through Northern Ireland first thing, and Wales, to the south-west, seeing that wet weather move in.
“All of that combined with the strengthening wind, gales around coastal areas, 40, 50mph gusts inland, 60 around exposed coasts and a lot of standing water, especially South Wales and the south-west.”
The meteorologist said clearer conditions would arrive this evening but showers would remain for parts of Wales, western Scotland and areas of southwest England.
The latest weather warning said the wet weather “will be accompanied by windy conditions with gusts in exposed coastal locations around 50-65 mph which means that some coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities may be affected by spray and/or large waves.
“Inland, gusts will be lower and mainly peak at 40-50 mph.”
The Met Office and RAC offered three key pieces of advice for drivers heading home in the rain.
Tip one is to “use dipped headlights if visibility is seriously reduced”.
Tip two is “increase your gap to at least four seconds from the moving traffic in front”.
The final one is to “grip your steering wheel firmly with both hands” as strong wind gusts can impact vehicles.
What will the weather be like tomorrow?
Heavy showers are also set to continue parts of the west and south on Wednesday but it will also be accompanied by sunshine.
The forecast also remains unsettled further onto in the week.
The Met Office forecast for Thursday and Sunday states: “Remaining rather unsettled, with sunshine and showers, but also a longer spell of rain pushing northeast on Friday.
“Windy at times and generally relatively mild.”