Brits warned about travel disruptions as Storm Otto hits the country

Storm Otto is expected to cause disruption across the country today as gale force winds of 80mph batter England and Scotland. The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for large parts of the country and is encouraging people to stay vigilant.

Strong winds are expected to impact road travel as well as coastal towns as wind and rain lash the country today, with unsettled weather expected for the weekend ahead.

Storm Otto

Otto is the first named storm to impact the UK this year and the Met Office has warned that there could be travel disruption as the wind makes it dangerous for some vehicles to travel, chief meteorologist Andy Page explained, as per The Met Office:

Storm Otto will bring high winds and rain to the UK, with some northern parts of Scotland and the northeast of England likely to get the strongest gusts of wind, possibly in excess of 75mph.

There's a chance of travel disruption and high-sided vehicles could be particularly prone to disrupted plans in this set-up. There's associated rain with Storm Otto, with 40-50 mm of rain likely to fall over parts of western Scotland.

The warning covers cities like Manchester, Hull, Newcastle, Glasgow and Edinburgh and is in force from this morning until later afternoon. The warning for Scotland runs from 3am to 3pm and the north-east England warning is from 5am to 2pm. Experts have warned that it could bring ‘danger to life’ due to flying debris from damaged buildings.

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Travel disruption

TransPennine Express has warned customers to check their route before they travel in case of cancellations or delays. It has also announced that trains between Berwick-upon-Tweed and Edinburgh will move at reduced speed in order to cope with the strong winds.

ScotRail also offered advice to households to stay safe, as per The Independent:

With very windy weather on the way, if you live by the railway please secure your garden furniture and items such as trampolines, to avoid them blowing onto tracks and disrupting services.

Damage to buildings and infrastructure is expected with other potential impacts including the likelihood of large waves, especially on the North Sea coast. This could cause beach material to be thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties.

Power cuts may also occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage.

The Met Office is advising people to stay inside as much as possible and to secure their homes in order to stay safe. Further guidance can be found on their website.

Sources used:

- The Met Office 'UK weather warnings'

- The Independent 'Storm Otto lashes UK with gale force winds of 80mph'

- Sky News 'Storm Otto: Met Office warns of 75mph winds as first named storm of the year hits UK'