Yellow weather warning issued for wind and rain in parts of North West and Isle of Man
A yellow weather warning for strong winds and rain has been issued for the North West and Isle of Man as the region is hit by the first named storm of the season, Storm Ashley.
Heavy downpours and 80mph winds are predicted in places, with the storm “likely” to bring a threat of injuries and danger to life, the Met Office has said.
A warning for wind came into place for the North West of England and the Isle of Man at 3am on Sunday, 20 October, and runs until into early Monday, 21 October.
Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud said “very strong, severe gales” on Sunday coincide with high spring tides, which could also result in “very large waves”.
What to expect from Storm Ashley
Some damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs, could happen
Power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage
Injuries and danger to life could occur from large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties
Some roads and bridges may close
Road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected, with longer journey times and cancellations possible
There are flood warnings and alerts across the the North West of England including:
Cumbrian coastline at Barrow in Furness, around Bigger, Rampside and Vickerstown
Cumbrian coastline at Barrow in Furness between North and South Walney, Cavendish and Ramadan Docks
Mersey Estuary at Arpley Bridge, Warrington
There are several tidal flood warnings for the Isle of Man, which can be found here.
Rail passengers have been warned that no trains will be running on several Northern routes.
The train operator has issued a "do not travel" notice, warning passengers that no Northern trains will be running on four routes in the region on Sunday including:
Manchester Piccadilly – Stoke-on-Trent
Manchester Victoria – Stalybridge
Manchester Victoria – Chester
Preston – Colne
The train operator also warned that short notice cancellations are to be expected throughout the North West, blaming the cancellations on Storm Ashley and staff shortages.
RNLI Blackpool issued their own warning too, saying people should be careful around coastlines, including Blackpool and the Fylde Coast, with winds of up to 60mph expected.
The charity urged people to stay off the Promenade in the seaside town.
They wrote: "Blackpool RNLI is making preparations at the Lifeboat Station to secure equipment and the boat house, and the volunteer crews urge everyone to stay off the Promenade around these tide times, especially the sea wall areas for your own safety."
All inbound and outbound flights from the Isle of Man have been cancelled or delayed due to the weather, with airport staff asking passengers to check directly with their airlines for updates on flights and potential delays.
Electricity North West said it would "monitor the network and ensure supplies and teams are available to respond if the storm causes damage to overhead lines".
The Isle of Man Steampacket Company there are gale warnings in place all through the weekend for marine traffic, which has forced most scheduled ferries to and from the island to be cancelled.
They say services to Liverpool are currently expected to be less impacted by the weather, although the 15:00 sailing on Sunday, and its return, are subject to a weather warning due to the high winds and anticipated sea state.
Winds are expected to ease on Monday with rain moving into the South East, the Met Office says, with the North expected to remaining blustery for much of the week.
Keep up to date with the full weather forecast for the North West and Isle of Man:
The latest information on flooding in the region from the Environment Agency:
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