Storm Mathis to blast UK with 70mph winds and heavy rain as Met Office issues yellow warning

Powerful 70mph winds and heavy rain will batter parts of the UK today as Storm Mathis sweeps across the country.

The stormy conditions have already caused some traffic disruption in southern England, leaving more than 400 properties in Cornwall without power. Power cuts are also affecting homes in Bude, St Ives, Redruth and Hayle, according to Western Power Distribution.

Gusts of up to 93mph were recorded at Gwennap Head near Penzance, while a fallen tree in Tuckingmill, near Camborne, blocked both lanes of Pendarves road after high winds this morning.

The Met Office has issued yellow warnings for wind and rain for parts of southern England and the south Wales coast today. The alert for wind is in place until midday on Friday (31 March), while the heavy rain warning lasts until 6pm tonight.

The national forecaster says the south coast of England, from Hastings to Devon and Cornwall will be battered, with Cornwall expected to see the worst of the ferocious winds. In Wales, a stretch of coastline from Barry to St David’s is set to be hit the hardest, while the highest winds have been forecast to hit parts of the Isle of Wight.

The Met Office says: “A deep area of low pressure is expected to move eastwards across southern Britain during Thursday evening and Friday morning, bringing spells of strong southerly winds, then a lull, followed by strong west or north westerly winds.

“There is uncertainty over the track and depth of the low and this affects how strong the wind will be. It is likely that coastal areas will see 50-60 mph gusts, with a low probability of 70 mph over exposed hills and headlands with winds probably peaking after they veer west or north westerly.

“This could lead to some disruption in places. Along with the strong winds, we will also see heavy rain overnight clearing as the low progresses eastwards.”

People are being warned to expect travel delays on the roads, railways, ferries and at airports due to the unsettled weather, with services likely to take longer than usual. The Met Office added that there is also a risk of some isolated power cuts and a few trees may also come down in the wind as well.

Where are weather warnings in place?

The regions covered by the yellow weather warning for wind include the following:

London and South East England

• Brighton and Hove
• East Sussex
• Hampshire
• Isle of Wight
• Kent
• Portsmouth
• West Sussex

South West England

• Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole
• Cornwall
• Devon
• Dorset
• Isles of Scilly
• Plymouth
• Somerset
• Torbay

• Bridgend
• Carmarthenshire
• Neath Port Talbot
• Pembrokeshire
• Swansea
• Vale of Glamorgan

The regions covered by the yellow weather warning for rain include:

• Cornwall
• Devon
• Plymouth
• Somerset