Easter has arrived and with it comes Storm Dave, set to batter parts of Britain with winds of up to 90mph.
The country’s latest named storm is set to bring damaging winds across northern parts of the UK later from tomorrow and into Sunday, with some disruptive snow possible as well in northwest Scotland.
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The Met Office said delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport were likely from 6pm on Saturday until midday Sunday for Scotland, Northern Ireland, North Wales and an area of northern England stretching from Liverpool to Newcastle.
It has issued a number of medium-impact yellow severe weather warnings for wind across these areas, likely meaning disruption for people travelling on what the RAC said could be the busiest Easter on the roads since 2022.
Winds of up to 90 mph – the strongest forecast – could be possible in western Scotland, with gusts of 70mph more widely.
Snow is also forecast, with a 12-hour yellow warning issued for northwest Scotland starting at 3pm on Saturday, with up to 5-10cm (2-4ins) possible in areas over 200m (656ft) in northern Scotland – with a small chance of 10-20cm (4-8ins).
Forecasters added that there was a chance of power cuts, with the potential to affect other services such as mobile phone coverage.
Dave is the fourth named weather system of the year and the name was chosen after being nominated for “my beloved husband who can snore three times louder than any storm”.
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Met Office deputy chief forecaster Tom Crabtree said the storm will form and rapidly deepen on Saturday as it approaches the UK from the west.
“By Saturday afternoon winds will strengthen significantly, with gusts of 60-70mph expected at times across parts of Scotland with the potential for gusts of 80-90mph in exposed coastal locations in Scotland. Gusts of 50-60mph are likely more widely in northern Britain,” he said.
Blizzards are possible over the hills of northern Scotland as heavy snowfall of up to 10-20cm combines with strong winds.
Elsewhere, there will be heavy spells of rain as the system moves through eastwards across the UK, he said.
With the worst of the weather system a few days away, he advised those in the firing line to “prepare their property for the strong winds”.
The Met Office has issued yellow alerts for wind across Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the north of England on Saturday and Sunday, with a warning also in place for the Orkney and Shetland Islands on Sunday.
There is a divide between the north and south of the UK, as further south it will be “breezy” and “much drier”, with “some good sunny spells, particularly on Sunday afternoon and at times on Monday”, the forecaster added.
Very strong southerly winds are forecast for parts of Ireland on Saturday.
