The Met Office has warned that the South West may be battered by strong winds and heavy rain over the next 36 hours. Many parts of the region have once again been covered by a yellow weather warning.
It’s expected that Cornwall and Devon’s costal areas will be the first to be hit as strong winds are forecast to take hold from around 9am tomorrow morning (Sunday, September 29). That could last most of the day in some areas, with the yellow weather warning to remain in place until 11:59pm.
Gusts of 50-55mph have been deemed “likely” in places, particularly along the coast. The Met Office says that the most exposed areas could see wind speeds exceeding 60mph.
As part of the warning, the Exeter-based forecaster says affected areas can expect spray and large waves in coastal communities, delays to public transport and short-term power cuts.
A much larger area of the South West, including all of Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset, as well as a large part of Gloucestershire has been told to prepare for heavy rain, starting late tomorrow afternoon. A yellow warning is in place from 4pm and has been forecast to run until 9am on Monday (September 30).
The rain warning could have similar effects to strong winds, as flooding could cause interruption to power supplies and delays on public transport, as well as for motorists.
The hour-by-hour forecast for some of the South West’s major towns and cities are as follows:
Gloucester
Cloudy and dry for most of Sunday morning, with heavy rain forecast from around 4pm. Wet weather not expected to clear until the middle of Monday morning.
Bristol
Light rain to arrive from 4pm on Sunday, quickly getting heavier and continuing overnight and until around 10am on Monday.
Taunton
Light rain starting around 2pm on Sunday and then expected to be heavy from 3pm until the early hours of Monday morning. Light rain expected to continue until around 10am. High winds around 6pm until around 9pm, reaching speeds of 45mph.
Barnstaple
Light rain to start around 1pm, quickly becoming heavy and continuing until around 1am on Monday morning. Conditions expected to stay wet for most of Monday, including into the evening. High winds expected from 1pm on Sunday until around 7pm, with speeds up to 47mph.
Exeter
Light rain arriving from 1pm on Sunday, becoming heavy and lasting until early on Monday morning, with some wet weather to return in the evening. High winds starting around 12pm on Sunday and lasting until around 10pm, with speeds up to 47mph.
Plymouth
Rain arriving from 11am on Sunday and becoming heavy shortly afterwards, continuing until the early hours of Monday morning. Light rain to continue until later in the morning. High winds from 11am until early hours of Monday morning, reaching highs of 53mph on Sunday afternoon.
Truro
Light rain starting 9am on Sunday, with light and heavy rain to continue for the rest of the day until early on Monday morning. High winds from 8am on Sunday and continuing until later on Monday morning, reaching highs of 56mph.
St Ives
Rain starting around 8am and continuing to be light and heavy throughout Sunday and into Monday morning, stopping in the early hours. High wind starting early on Sunday morning and continuing until later on Monday morning, with speeds reaching 60mph.