Storm Dave Brings Chaos to the UK This Easter
Brits are being urged to prepare for a challenging Easter weekend as Storm Dave brings winds of over 90mph and snow blizzards. The storm has triggered four yellow weather warnings for wind and one for snow, with forecasters warning of serious risks of damage and injuries.
The Met Office has advised people to gather essential items in advance, such as torches, batteries, and mobile phone power packs. ‘People cope better with power cuts when they have prepared in advance,’ the forecaster said. ‘It’s easy to do; consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items.’
Storm Dave will affect millions of drivers embarking on road trips for Easter, despite the rising cost of fuel. The AA estimated that 21.7 million road journeys across the UK were planned for Thursday, making it busier than any day of the four-day bank holiday weekend.
Thousands of train journeys will also be impacted as Network Rail carries out more than 270 upgrade projects, including a six-day West Coast Main Line shutdown. The Met Office has warned of possible travel disruption as northern England and Scotland are set to be hit with powerful winds and even some snow.
Weather Forecast for Storm Dave
Storm Dave is expected to bring damaging winds across northern parts of the UK on Saturday and into Easter Day, with snow possible in Scotland. The northern half of the country is set to be hit with gale-force winds over the Easter weekend, with forecasters warning of possible travel disruption and power cuts.
The Met Office has issued a series of yellow weather warnings for very strong winds in Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of north Wales and northern England. The storm will officially begin at 2pm on Saturday when the first of several warnings is activated, before ending at 3pm on Easter Sunday when the last warning finishes.
Forecasters said gusts of 50 to 60mph are expected ‘fairly widely’, possibly rising to 60 to 70mph in exposed locations and as high as 80 to 90mph in western Scotland. Separately, a snow warning for north-west Scotland was issued, running from 5pm on Saturday until 3am on Sunday, where up to 8in (20cm) could accumulate.
Brits have been warned to expect delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport, with potential cancellations for some services. Delays for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges are likely, while some roads and bridges could close. There is a risk of power cuts and disruption to other services such as mobile phone coverage, as well as a risk of damage to buildings, such as tiles being blown from roofs.
Impact on Travel and Transportation
Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Dan Holley said: ‘A significant cold plunge from Canada into the North Atlantic will impact our weekend weather, strengthening the jet stream and spinning up a deep area of low pressure towards the north-west of the UK on Saturday night. This will lead to a spell of very strong winds later on Saturday and overnight into the morning of Easter Sunday.’
Tom Morgan, Met Office operational meteorologist, said that while much of the UK will see ‘unsettled’ weather by the end of the week, it does not necessarily point to a ‘washout’ over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend. ‘There’s actually going to be quite a lot of dry weather, particularly across England and Wales, but it will be turning windier for all,’ he said.
Rebecca Guy, senior policy manager at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), said: ‘Millions of people are expected to be on the move over the holiday period, so we’re urging drivers to plan ahead, allow extra time, and be prepared for delays. In wet and windy conditions, it’s vital to slow down, increase the gap between you and the vehicle in front, and keep both hands firmly on the wheel.’
RAC spokesperson Rod Dennis said: ‘The arrival of Storm Dave is set to make driving conditions across the north and west of the UK this Easter particularly challenging. While we expect leisure traffic volumes to be slightly lower on Saturday and Sunday compared with the rest of the bank holiday, there will still be millions of people on the roads visiting friends and family.’
Road Journeys Despite Fuel Price Hike
The AA reported that some 21.7 million journeys across the UK were planned for Thursday. This is based on a survey of more than 13,000 AA members conducted from March 13 to 19, before the conflict in the Middle East began. Thursday is set to remain the busiest day overall as drivers got a head start on the long weekend.
Easter Saturday is expected to be the busiest day of the bank holiday weekend itself, with almost 20.3 million drivers taking to the roads. Good Friday will see around 19.6 million journeys, roughly half a million more than last year.
Journey numbers remain high across the weekend, with Easter Sunday and Easter Monday both seeing around 18.9 million trips. Most drivers are planning to keep their Easter journeys relatively short, according to the AA.
Rail Disruption During the Easter Holidays
Rail passengers face travel chaos during the Easter holidays amid a six-day shutdown on Britain’s biggest intercity line and sections of Tube lines suspended. Families travelling with luggage to see relatives will be forced to take replacement buses in some areas as millions of people make journeys over the four-day weekend.
No West Coast Main Line services will run between London Euston and Milton Keynes from Good Friday to Wednesday, April 8 due to engineering works. Avanti West Coast and London Northwestern Railway said services will start and end at Milton Keynes with buses to Bedford for onwards trains to London St Pancras.
Airports and International Travel
Airports – Two million travellers amid EU delay fears. Travel trade organisation Abta estimated that two million people from the UK will travel abroad between Good Friday and Easter Monday. UK holidaymakers jetting off to the European Union are being warned to expect two-hour delays on arrival as countries are ramping up the deployment of a new border system.
