Storm Dave is forecast to bring potentially disruptive winds to Northern Ireland on Saturday, with Met Office warnings in place and peak gusts expected earlier here than elsewhere in the UK.
A Yellow severe weather warning for wind has been issued for the whole of Northern Ireland, alongside similar alerts for Scotland, north Wales and parts of northern England.
Armagh county is expected to experience wind gusts close to 50mph on the Saturday – the strongest winds are expected to hit on Saturday afternoon before the worst of the conditions transfer further east and north across the rest of the UK into Saturday evening and Sunday.
The deepening Atlantic low-pressure system has been officially named Storm Dave and will move in after a largely fine Thursday, signalling a sharp turn to more unsettled conditions for the Easter weekend.
Scotland is expected to bear the brunt of the storm, where there is a small chance of gusts reaching 80-90mph for a short time in the most exposed spots. Heavy hill snow is also likely in northern Scotland, with accumulations of 5-10cm possible above 200m and locally 10-20cm, bringing a risk of blizzards and drifting. A separate Yellow warning for snow is in force there from 3pm Saturday until 3am Sunday.
Deputy Chief Forecaster Tom Crabtree said: “Storm Dave 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.
“As well as strong winds, Storm Dave will also bring heavy snowfall over the hills in northern Scotland where up to 10-20cm of snow could accumulate. Along with the strong winds this will lead to blizzard conditions. Elsewhere there will be heavy spells of rain as the system moves through eastwards across the UK. With Storm Dave a few days away, people should prepare their property for the strong winds and keep updated with the latest weather forecast as the weather warnings are likely to be updated.”
The Met Office is urging people in all affected areas, including Northern Ireland, to plan ahead for possible travel disruption, difficult driving conditions and potential impacts to power supplies and coastal routes as the storm moves through.
