Storm Abigail hits Britain with 100mph winds closing schools and leaving

Storm Abigail is set to affect Ireland today, resulting in warnings of strong winds nationwide.

The warning area covers the Highlands and Islands, the west coast north from Islay, and northern Aberdeenshire.

According to the Met Office, Thursday will see a dry start to the day with a few sunny spells, but sunshine increasingly hazy and thickening cloud bringing a few outbreaks of heavy rain by evening.

The Largs-Cumbrae ferry service will be on amber alert on Thursday 12 November, and may be disrupted or cancelled at short notice due to high winds.

The “Yellow Weather Warning” for heavy rain was issued by the Met Office this morning, with the bad weather expected to last from 3pm on Saturday afternoon through to 3am on Monday morning.

The storm, named Abigail, is the first of a list of names chosen by the public for this autumn and winter, and it is expected to bring gale force winds across Scotland, with the risk of damaging gusts to the north.

Thousands of homes lost power overnight as high winds and lightning hit the Western Isles and north of Scotland.

A statement issued by the Met Office this morning notes that: “A frontal system is expected to become slow-moving across parts of northwest Wales, northwest England and southwest Scotland”.

The Met Office extended yellow weather warnings until 11pm today with forecasters predicting strong winds and blizzards.

“Down here we’re only expecting, over the same period of time, maximum subdued gusts 30-32 miles per hour”, Dr Wild said.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has urged people to take extra care if they are using candles during any power cuts.

Bablake Weather Station expert Steve Jackson, who is based in Coventry, said: “As if we need any more excuses to overhype our weather, we have now named a perfectly normal autumn Atlantic depression “Abigail”.

Strong wind gusts lash the western coastlines and cause huge waves to crash onshore, leading to coastal erosion.

Met Éireann has issued two weather warnings, as Storm Abigail approaches Ireland and the UK.

The project is created to raise awareness of severe weather and to ensure greater safety for the public.