Scotland has started to see snow, heavy rain and strong winds as Storm Kathleen hits the UK. This is the 11th storm named so far in the 2023-24 season, making it one of the stormiest periods since storm naming began in 2015. The Met Office has issued three weather warnings for various times on Friday and Saturday, including warnings for wind gusts of up to 70mph (113kmh) around coastal parts of the UK. Members of the public are being advised to prepare for flooding, travel disruption and possible power cuts.
Some ScotRail services were cancelled due to flooding, and a snow warning has been issued for parts of the central belt, Tayside, Fife, Aberdeenshire, Moray and parts of the Highlands. Forecasters have predicted that up to 10cm of snow may fall over higher ground during the hours of 03:00 until 09:00 on Friday. This snow is expected to cause disruption to travel, particularly on higher routes, and lead to longer journey times for road and rail commuters.
A yellow warning for rain has also been issued for roughly the same time period for the central belt, Tayside, and Fife, with between 15-25mm of rain expected to fall over around six hours, and some locations potentially seeing up to 35mm of rainfall overnight. This warning has raised concerns for flooding to a few homes and businesses and could cause spray and flooding on roads, which could affect travel for commuters.
Furthermore, Storm Kathleen will arrive on Saturday, presenting a yellow warning for winds from 08:00 until 22:00. This warning covers Northern Ireland, southern and central parts of Scotland and western parts of England and Wales. The storm will bring very windy weather, resulting in potentially cancelled or longer journeys as road, rail, air and ferry services will be affected. The Met Office have warned of closures or restrictions on roads and bridges, as well as presenting a danger to coastal areas in the north and west of Scotland and England through large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, roads and properties.
As a result of Storm Kathleen, there is possibility of power cuts, which could impact mobile phone coverage and other crucial services. This is only the second time a UK-named storm has reached the letter K in the alphabet – with the only previous storm being Storm Katie in March 2016. No storm season has ever gone beyond the letter K, and it is unusual to see spring or April storms. Since 2015, there has only been one UK named storm in April, Storm Hannah in 2019
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