Storm Antoni: 'Danger to life' warning as heavy rain and strong winds hit South West
An amber weather warning has been issued for parts of the South West as Storm Antoni is set to bring high winds and rain.
The Met Office has warned of "danger to life", damage to structures, power cuts and travel delays.
The storm is forecast to bring unseasonably strong winds and heavy rain to the region today (5 August).
Falling trees, riptides and inadequate building structures are some of the dangers people should look out for on Saturday during the amber wind warning, the Met Office has said.
Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said the storm, which is the first to be named by the Met Office this season, could see winds of up to 70mph on the coast and 60mph inland.
He said: “Storm Antoni is now tracking east into the Irish Sea and will continue to move east across England and Wales.
“With it being the holiday season and it being a Saturday there will be plenty of local events going on, (Storm Antoni) wouldn’t necessarily bring the same level of impact if it was in the winter.
“For August this is very unusual. Effectively the trees are in full leaf so are more susceptible to strong winds.
“Building structures, trees and temporary structures such as marquees may not well be too adequate.
“Beach debris could be thrown from waves onto coastal roads, there’s a risk of dangerous tides, riptides and power cuts.
“Most travel disruption will be from (fallen) trees and branches.”
The amber warning for wind will last between 11am and 7pm whereas the yellow warning lasts from 8am until 8pm.
Wind speeds could reach up to 50mph in some places as the unseasonably bad weather continues through the weekend. Weather experts suggest winds of up to 60-65 mph could reach exposed coastal areas.
Disruption on the railways has been reported by Great Western Railway, as passengers are being advised not to travel between Exeter St Davids and Penzance.
Cornwall
High winds have battered parts of Cornwall, with power cuts to homes and road closures in place due to fallen trees.
Hundreds of homes in the Duchy have lost power following the heavy winds. According to National Grid, 1,552 properties are are currently without electricity.
The A390 Westbound has been closed, with traffic queuing nearby due to a fallen tree between Bodmin Turn-off (West Taphouse) and Respryn Turn (Restormel).
A tree has also fallen on the road to Veryan on the Roseland Peninsula in Cornwall.
Devon
People living in west Devon are facing a yellow wind warning but the majority of central and east Devon, including Exeter, are under a more serious amber weather warning.
The Dartmouth Higher Ferry is not operating due to tidal conditions and strong winds.
The A386 in Devon is closed both ways due to fallen tree and fallen power cables between Station Road in Lydford and the A30 in Sourton Cross, Sourton Down.
The floodgates in Sidmouth and Mamhead Slipway will also be closed until Sunday morning.