Weekend weather - Storm Dennis arrives making flooding likely 13/02/20
The winds from this storm system are not expected to be as strong as last weekend however, the heavy rain from Dennis is expected to be more widespread than from Ciara and there is a greater risk of flooding over larger areas. Alex Deakin explains.
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00:00Hello. Welcome to your weekend update from the Met Office.
00:03Another weekend where we're talking about a storm.
00:05Last weekend, it was Storm Kira.
00:07This weekend, Storm Dennis arrives.
00:10It's similar to Storm Kira in some ways,
00:12but there are important differences.
00:14The main one being that the winds associated with Storm
00:17Dennis are expected to be a little bit less than those
00:21from Storm Kira.
00:22However, Storm Dennis is likely to bring
00:25more widespread heavy rainfall and therefore
00:28a greater risk of further flooding.
00:31Now, again, Storm Dennis is an area of low pressure,
00:34which, like Storm Kira, is developing way out
00:37of the eastern seaboard of the United States,
00:40intensifying during Friday as it crosses the Atlantic.
00:44The ice is squeezing together, so yes, it will be windy.
00:47But a slight difference track of Dennis
00:49as it pushes a bit further north will
00:51allow warmer air to push up across parts of the south.
00:54And that's crucial because warmer air
00:57brings more moisture with it.
00:58And that is one of the reasons why the rainfall with Dennis
01:01is likely to be heavier more widely across the UK.
01:04And that's why there's a greater risk of more widespread
01:07flooding from Dennis.
01:08Having said that, it will still be a very windy weekend.
01:11We start off with patchy rain across parts of the south.
01:15And then this band of heavy rain tracks into Scotland
01:18and Northern Ireland.
01:19Parts of northeast England may not see too much rain
01:21until Saturday afternoon.
01:23But look at this.
01:24By the end of Saturday, much of the UK
01:26will be experiencing heavy rain and strong and gusty winds.
01:31Those winds likely to reach 50 miles an hour inland,
01:3360 to 70 miles an hour around coast.
01:35So again, a notch down from Keir at last weekend,
01:38but still with the potential to cause damage and disruption.
01:43It is milder air, so temperatures
01:44likely to get into double digits,
01:46maybe even into the teens.
01:47But of course, it won't feel all that pleasant.
01:50Storm Dennis then hangs around through Saturday night
01:53into Sunday.
01:54Again, a lot of isobars on the chart.
01:55This weather front pushes southwards, bringing rain.
01:58And then it kind of wriggles and ripples.
02:00And it's this waving weather front
02:02that continues to bring rain across parts of the south.
02:05So again, that is why we're particularly
02:07concerned about rainfall amounts really starting to build up
02:10through the weekend.
02:12Just look across the south.
02:13It is a very soggy Sunday indeed.
02:15Further north, it may turn a bit drier and brighter.
02:18But there'll still be a lot of showers packing in.
02:20And still windy.
02:21And again, after Storm Keir and after what
02:24has been a very lively week of weather,
02:26trees and structures may well have been weakened.
02:29So although the winds may not be quite as strong as Keir,
02:31they could still cause damage and disruption.
02:34Temperature wise, again, on Sunday across the south,
02:37it will technically be quite mild,
02:38with highs perhaps getting into the teens, that milder air
02:42that Dennis is bringing.
02:43Further north, though, it will be turning a little bit cooler,
02:46but perhaps not quite as wet on Sunday,
02:48with some brighter spells in between those showers.
02:52So just a reminder, there are warnings in force
02:54for Storm Dennis this weekend.
02:55Amber warnings for rainfall.
02:57And many yellow warnings for both wind and rain.
03:01Please make sure you stay up to date.
03:02See if your area is going to be affected
03:04by these weather warnings.
03:06Best way to do that, visit our website, download our app.
03:08Or of course, the very latest updates throughout the weekend
03:11will be on our social media channels.