Other areas and services affected include: A major traffic route into Leeds City Centre will be closed on Thursday because of fears that a nearby skyscraper may generate freak winds Network Rail is warning travellers to expect delays in Scotland and northern and eastern England Scotrail says at least 20 routes will be out of service, and all other routes will not run until 07:00 GMT East Coast says it will run a revised timetable Regions under the Met Offices amber be prepared warning are Central, Tayside and Fife; East Midlands; East of England; Grampian; Highlands and Eilean Siar; North East England; North West England; Orkney and Shetland; South West Scotland, Lothian and Borders; Strathclyde; and Yorkshire and Humber. This warning indicates likely travel delays from road and rail closures, power cuts and damage to properties. London and South East England; Northern Ireland; Wales; and West Midlands have been placed under a yellow warning. This tells people in the area to be aware of the possibility of severe weather and to expect some disruption to their activities and travel plans. Forecasters say snow is likely to fall in the north of Scotland on Thursday, up to 5cm deep on low ground with 20cm possible on higher ground. Tallest building A major traffic route into Leeds city centre will be closed on Thursday following warnings of high winds. The road is the main route into the city from the south and is used every morning by thousands of vehicles. It passes the citys tallest building - the Bridgewater Place tower - which a coroner ruled this week can influence wind conditions. She recommended the junction beneath it should be shut to all road users when wind speeds reach 45mph or more. Leeds City Council says Victoria Road, as well as Water Lane and Neville Street, will be shut from 06:00 GMT on Thursday. Network Rail has already warned customers in Scotland and parts of north and eastern England to expect delays. Robin Gisby, Network Rails director of operations, said ground conditions would be monitored through the night and into the morning, and teams were in place to react quickly to any damage caused by the weather. He said as much of the network as possible would be kept open however speed restrictions and other measures might be necessary in the interests of safety. Conditions across the UK are expected to have improved by the weekend.Large swathes of the UK are braced for a storm bringing with it gale-force winds, possible travel disruption and the risk of some coastal flooding. Worst hit will be Scotland, where 80mph winds are expected, and the north and east of England, BBC forecasters said. Communities on Englands east coast are being told to prepare later for the most serious tidal surge for 30 years. The Environment Agency said the North Sea coast from Northumberland to the Thames Estuary was at risk. The Thames Barrier was due to close on Thursday night to protect London from floods. Flood defences The Environment Agency said the combination of high tides, gale-force winds, large waves and a tidal surge would bring a risk of significant coastal flooding. In some places sea levels could be as high as those during the devastating floods of 1953 - although flood defences built since then meant many parts of the country were now better protected, it added. The agency has one severe flood warning - indicating danger to life - for Sandwich Quay in Kent on Friday, plus more than 30 flood warnings and 50 flood alerts. In Scotland, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued flood warnings for Central; Edinburgh and Lothians; Fife; and Skye and Lochaber. The BBC weather centre has recorded gusts of 93mph at Loch Glascarnoch in the Highlands and 81mph at Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis.
Posted on: Thu, 05 Dec 2013 07:01:11 +0000
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