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Hurricane force winds of up to 61 mph tore through southwestern England as Storm Alex arrived from France.
The storm had pushed strong winds and rain into southern England, disrupting travel and power lines in the southwest and the Isle of Wight.
Breakdown coverage provider Green Flag has forecast nine breakdowns per minute on UK roads between Friday and Monday. Mark Newberry, Green Flag’s chief commercial officer, said he expected the most notices on Saturday, with breakdowns up 10% compared to usual.
“As a result of these weather conditions, we urge drivers to remain cautious and carry out appropriate security checks before leaving for their trips,” he said.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks recorded unplanned outages in more than 20 areas, including Portsmouth, Southampton and the cities east of Reading, according to the customer’s interactive map.
However, the company said this was normal and called the shortage “low incidence.” The outages were concentrated in small areas, he added, and power lines generally held up well.
Western Power Distribution also recorded incidents in the South West of England, affecting Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset.
A Met Office spokeswoman, Nicola Maxey, said higher wind speeds of 61 mph hit Berry Head in Devon and the Isle of Wight on Friday morning, making power lines susceptible to damage.
Power outages were more likely in early fall because the trees still had their leaves, he said, which meant branches were more likely to fall in high winds and break wires.
Maxey said wet and windy weather would move from south-west England and Wales to northern England, Northern Ireland and Scotland during Friday afternoon, although the rain was expected to be lighter.
Until 6pm on Sunday, amber weather warnings were issued on the heaviest rains likely to cause transport disruptions in parts of Wales, the West Midlands and the south west of England.
Gale force gusts from Storm Alex were expected to subside late Friday, but yellow rain warnings will remain across most of the UK through the weekend.
Maxey said: “A second rain front will come to replace Storm Alex over the weekend, pushing in from the east on Saturday morning and affecting the western areas later on. The rain slowly pushes north, but will ease as it progresses.
“On Saturday, most of the country will be hit by rain, and it looks heaviest in the center, on the backbone of the country from Aberdeen to Bristol.”
Autumn temperatures of 10-15 ° C are expected over the weekend, with the coldest temperatures expected in Scotland.
