The UK’s Meteorological Office issued a yellow wind weather warning from midday Wednesday through Thursday morning across a wide swath of Ireland and northwestern Great Britain, including Scotland and northern England, as well as Wales and parts of the Midlands.
The warning says gusts of up to 75 mph are expected along the western coast, with Ireland getting the worst of it, but even inland areas of the UK could experience 50-mile-per-hour winds.
“The storm center itself remains over the Atlantic and will continue approaching and cross the UK through Wednesday afternoon and will move away Wednesday night into Thursday,” Oli Claydon, a spokesperson for the Met Office, told British media on Tuesday.
“In terms of most impacted areas, we’re looking at the Irish Sea coasts, so south-eastern parts of Northern Ireland, west and north-western coasts of Wales, and the north-western coast of England,” he added.
Authorities are warning for the likelihood of downed trees and power lines, as well flooding. Along the coast and at sea, waves as high as 50 feet could be encountered.
“It will be wet and very windy with outbreaks of heavy rain extending nationwide with the likelihood of some spot flooding,” Met Eireann, Ireland’s meteorological service, warned on Tuesday, “becoming extremely windy or stormy for a time in the east and south with the potential for severe and damaging gusts.”
Ireland and Scotland could also experience high amounts of rainfall, with the Met issuing a warning for as much as 60 millimeters (2.3 inches) of rain. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has warned this could cause localized flooding, particularly along the western coasts.