Storm Franklin: which parts of UK will get strong winds as Met Office issues amber weather warning

A third storm within a week is set to hit parts of the UK in the aftermath of Storm Eunice.

Storm Franklin will see ice and strong wind hit parts of the country just days after Storm Dudley and Storm Eunice caused chaos.

But where will Storm Franklin hit and what can be expected from the weather?

Where will Storm Franklin hit?

The Met Office has issued an amber warning for wind which could cause “travel delays, road and rail closures, power cuts and the potential risk to life and property” in Northern Ireland for tonight into Monday.

Milder yellow warnings for wind also cover Wales, Northern Ireland and most of England.

The Environment Agency has issued 44 flood warnings where “flooding is likely” for locations mainly in the north and west of England, and 117 alerts where “flooding is possible” for the north-western half of the UK, London and the south coast.

Some 18 flood warnings and seven alerts have also been issued across the Scottish Borders, Ayrshire, Orkney and the Western Isles by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

Natural Resources Wales has issued six flood warnings for areas just east of Shrewsbury, and 25 alerts covering much of the country.

When is Storm Franklin going to hit?

The amber weather warning for Northern Ireland lasts from midnight tonight (20 February) until 7am on Monday.

The yellow warnings for Wales, Northern Ireland and most of England last from midday today (Sunday) until 1pm on Monday.

What can be expected from Storm Franklin?

The Met Office said: “A spell of very strong winds associated with Storm Franklin will bring disruption to parts of Northern Ireland early on Monday.”

The warning says that “flying debris” is likely and there could be damage to buildings. It also warns of travel disruption and power cuts.

The milder yellow warning that covers much of England as well as south west Scotland and Northern Ireland says that there will be “further periods of very strong winds on Sunday and Monday, with possible disruption”.

It also warns that “road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected, with longer journey times and cancellations possible”.

How bad was Storm Eunice?

Storm Eunice caused what providers believe was a record national power outage over a 24-hour period on Friday, with around 1.4 million homes affected.

Some 83,000 people were still without power on Sunday morning, according to the Energy Networks Association.

Meteorologist Becky Mitchell said this is the first time the national forecaster has recorded three major storms in such quick succession since the naming system was introduced seven years ago.

She told the PA news agency: “This is the first time we have had three named storms within a week, and we started the storm naming system in 2015.

“At the moment we’ve got a really active jet stream, which is why we’re seeing so many storms track right towards the UK.

“We had Dudley on Wednesday, Eunice on Friday and Franklin today.”

During Storm Eunice, a record wind speed for England of 122mph was recorded at The Needles on the Isle of Wight.

The 02 Arena in London saw extremely strong winds pull part of its roof off, while a church spire in Somerset was also torn down.

Three people in the UK lost their lives during the storm.

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