Storm Dudley: Weather warnings as 90mph winds set for Cumbria and Scottish Borders
An amber warning is in place for Cumbria, the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway, as Storm Dudley is expected to bring 90mph winds.
Local authorities and agencies are preparing themselves for the impact of the weather, which comes just a few months after Storm Arwen battered the region.
The warning comes into effect at 23pm and will last until midnight.
Two further yellow weather warnings for wind come into effect following this amber alert.
The first covers the period from 3pm on 16 February to 6pm on 17 February and forms part of Storm Dudley.
The second runs from midnight on 17 February until 9pm on 18 February, during which time a second storm, Storm Eunice, will hit the UK.
The Met Office has said these warnings could mean the following are possible:
Road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected, and some roads and bridges are likely to close, leading to longer journey times and cancellations.
Probably some fallen trees and damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs
There is a good chance that power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage
Injuries and danger to life is likely from large waves and beach material being thrown onto coastal roads, sea fronts and properties
Scottish Borders Council has urged people in the district to be prepared.
"Residents are asked to be prepared for the conditions and not to enter any wooded areas as there is high risk of falling trees," a spokesperson said. "There is also the potential for power cuts and damage to buildings.
"The council will do its upmost to respond to fallen trees affecting routes across the area, however the safety of staff and contractors is a priority and resources will be targeted at swift recovery actions on Thursday, during daylight hours and in better weather conditions.
They added: "The Met Office has also issued a yellow weather warning for wind and snow, which is in place from 3am to 6pm on Friday. This covers all but the extreme eastern coast of the Scottish Borders. There remains uncertainty about what areas will see snow, however at low levels away from the coast there is the potential for around 5cm of snow."
The authority has also urged residents to sign up for its messaging service.
Also in southern Scotland, government organisation Forestry and Land Scotland has urged people to stay away from woodland it manages.
Trefor Owen, its director of land management, said: “With our east and south Scotland teams still working on clearing damage from Storm Arwen and Storm Malik, this latest news is hugely unwelcome.
“Once again we are asking members of the public to exercise their common sense and stay away from woodlands during the forecast storms.
"Gusts of 90 mph could result in significant damage especially to woodlands that have already been affected by previous storm events."
He added: “We want everyone to stay safe and not take any risks that might result in injury – or worse – and that will place avoidable demands on the emergency services.”
The group also explained that it will take "some time" to assess the level of any new damage and update forest information on its web pages, that previously undamaged forests and woodlands may well be affected during this bad weather and that new hazards could be created, making the clean-up from previous storms harder.
Dumfries and Galloway Council has also said that it has teams prepared to deal with the effects of the weather.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has also issued a flood alert for the district.
Police Scotland in the district has also urged people not to travel.
The weather has affected ferries from Cairnryan, with Stena Line rearranging some sailing times and cancelling other services altogether.
South of the border, Electricity North West has said its engineers are braced for the high winds.
The supplier said it has plans in place to monitor the network respond if there is any damage to overhead lines.
Sam Loukes, incident manager for the company, said: “We’ve been monitoring the weather for several days and started to plan ahead of the naming of Storms Dudley and Eunice.
“The forecast is for extremely strong winds and throughout the week, we’ll have local teams on standby and they’ll be ready to respond quickly, our customer team will also be available for support and we’ll be providing regular updates through our social media channels and website.”
“While we do as much as we can, falling trees and other debris can still cause damage to the network.
"If people do see damage to the power network because of Storms Dudley and Eunice this week, firstly, they must stay away as equipment could still be live, and then immediately call us on 105 so we can make the area safe.”
The firm's social media channels include Twitter and Facebook.
Services have been suspended on the Windermere Ferry today because of the weather.
A multi-agency response is being prepared ahead of forecasted Storm Dudley and Storm Eunice which may impact the county this week.
Cumbria Local Resilience Forum, made up of organisations from across the county, has also met to prepare for the weather.
Report by Fiona Marley Paterson
Chair Superintendent Matt Pearman from Cumbria Police said" “The Cumbria Local Resilience Forum have been meeting to prepare ahead of Storm Dudley and Eunice.
“All agencies are working together to ensure that our communities have access to the help and support they may require during the storms.
“We also ask that our communities prepare themselves ahead of Dudley and Eunice and make themselves aware of the key contacts and ensure any vulnerable people within our communities are also aware and prepared”
The group recommends keeping a close eye on the Twitter accounts of Cumbria Constabulary and Cumbria County Council.
For the latest weather updates in our region, click here.