ANGRY AGNES SET TO GIVE SALFORD A BASHING

Crikey it looks like there will be a lot of that 'Weather' stuff about over the next day or so as the first named storm of the season (Agnes) is set to give a large swathe of the UK a bashing over the coming 24 hours and Salford is likely to see some strong winds, heavy rain and dangerous driving conditions.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for both Wednesday and Thursday and is predicting the deep low pressure system to rapidly intensify during he next 18 hours as it tracks towards the country and merges with the jet stream.

In a press release the Met Office said:

"Rapid acceleration of air caused by the jet stream high up in the atmosphere can remove air from the column, reducing its weight so causing pressure to fall at sea level.

"This in turn can suck in air which converges from surrounding regions resulting in faster and faster rotation of the circulation, in the same way that ice skaters spin faster by drawing their arms in. The resulting winds peak over a period of a few hours and can be strong enough to bring down trees and cause structural damage."

The main path of the storm is expected to cross Northern Ireland, Scotland and the more Northern parts of England, but high winds and heavy downpours can be expected across much of the rest of the country.

Some of the more exposed coastlines could see wind speeds of up to 75mph resulting in dangerous conditions.

Inland areas are more likely to have gusts of 45 to 50mph but the effects of the wind can be amplified, especially for high sided vehicles crossing the high level M60 motorway bridge between Eccles and Trafford. Drivers are being asked to be mindful of the conditions and to take things slowly when out and about.

What to expect

Injuries and danger to life from flying debris are possible

Some damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs, could happen

Some power cuts are likely to occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage

Road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected, with longer journey times and cancellations possible. Some roads and bridges are likely to close

There is a small chance of injuries and danger to life that could occur from large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties, with a chance of some minor flooding of coastal roads