Yahoo News Why you should take more notice of severe weather warnings in the summer
A meteorologist has explained why people should take heed of severe weather warnings during the summer months.
At the beginning of August, heavy rain caused chaos in parts of the UK as flooding saw people rescued by emergency services.
But Britain is set to be lashed by more “unseasonably bad” weather, with the majority of the UK under a Met Office yellow weather warning.
The first major storm since Hannah in April will see heavy rainfall and winds reaching speeds of 50mph hit the UK.
But the weather warnings, combined with the summer months, pose an even deeper danger.
Speaking on BBC Today Show on Friday, resident weather expert Keith Doyle explained that while yellow weather warnings are common in winter, they pose a more serious risk in the summer.
Mr Doyle said: “In late autumn or early winter, yellow weather warnings are really not really they unusual - but in summer, weather like this can create real problems.
“People are set up for being outdoors and trees in particular are a problem as they are in full leaf and more prone to being blown over.
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“So really at this time of year, a yellow weather warning is much more serious than it would be at any other time.”
However, Helen Roberts from the Met Office told Yahoo News UK that weather warnings are impact based and take these factors into account.
She said: “Our warnings are impact based, so when we are thinking about issuing a warning we take into account the time of year, time of day, whether there are lots of people outdoors, and whether the trees are in full leaf.
“So when a warning is issued, all those things have already been thought about and factored in.”
Also on the Today Show, Mr Doyle noted the severe weather will have a huge impact on those travelling.
He said: “Drivers have been warned to expect difficult and challenging conditions on roads. Highways England have said they should consider delaying their journeys.
“They are concerned about high-sided vehicles and caravans - there are a lot of these on the road at this time of year - and they can be affected by those high winds.”
A low pressure system will descend on the UK from Friday afternoon and is expected to last most of Saturday.
As such, the Met Office has issued yellow rain warnings for most of the UK – except the far north-west and south east of Britain - which come into force from midnight on Friday..
And on Saturday, a second warning will cover the whole of Wales and central and southern England, including Blackpool, Huddersfield and Grimsby.
