London, Jul. 16, (PA Media/dpa/GNA) - The UK has been battered by strong winds and thunderstorms after the Met Office issued weather warnings for Saturday.
A number of events were cancelled after the UK’s weather agency issued thunderstorm warnings for Scotland and Northern Ireland as well as a wind warning for large parts of southern England and south Wales.
A wind warning is in place for parts of England and Wales until midnight on Saturday and a thunderstorm warning is in place until 11 pm (2200 GMT) and 9 pm for Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively.
The forecast forced Goodwood Festival of Speed organizers to cancel the event’s first day for the first time in its 30-year history.
The organisers said: “On-site safety is our highest priority and the forecasted high winds will pose a serious risk to various temporary structures across the site. We politely ask that you do not travel to Goodwood or attempt to access the site.”
Tom Morgan, the meteorologist at the Met Office, told the PA news agency: “For the middle part of July we’re seeing quite unseasonably unsettled weather.
“We’ve got quite strong winds today across southern areas where we will potentially see gusts as high as 55mph bringing some minor disruption and damage to trees, for example, particularly in South Wales and southern parts of England.
“We’ve also got some thunderstorms which are moving through quite quickly in the South because of the wind, but the thunderstorms in Scotland and Northern Ireland will be much slower.
“There are many outdoor events expected to take place this weekend, we do urge you, wherever you are, to keep an eye on the forecast and leave plenty of time for your journeys because the weather may well cause some disruption from either strong winds or thunder and heavy rain.”
All eight Royal Parks in London shut their playgrounds in a bid to keep visitors safe.
Wimbledon went ahead as planned although a warning was issued ahead of the women’s singles final, with organizers announcing the ticket queue would be closed for the day due to the weather warning.
Morgan continued: “For tomorrow’s men’s singles final, the winds should be quite a bit lighter but it’ll still be quite noticeably breezy so you will still notice the winds through Centre Court.”
Temperatures throughout the day remained in the high teens or low 20s, which is average for the time of year.
Sunday is expected to be less windy but showers will continue for parts of northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with a risk of thunder, while further south will see a mix of sunny spells and showers.
GNA