Snow, hail, thunder and 70mph gales to strike UK with wind weather warning for power cuts and road chaos across England

BRITAIN is set to be battered with snow, hail, thunder and 70mph gales causing power cuts and chaos on the roads.

The Met Office has issued weather warnings for most of England and Wales.

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A yellow wind warning in place across the whole of England and Wales from 9pm tonight until 3pm tomorrow.

Strong gusts are expected during the "very unsettled" conditions, with gusts reaching 70mph on coasts and hills and 55mph inland.

And "heavy and blustery showers may bring disruption to England and Wales", the Met Office warns.

Power cuts are possible and delays on the roads are "likely".

The east of England will feel the brunt of the winds, feeling much colder as well.

Met Office forecaster Alex Deakin said: "The weather patterns have shifted, much more wet and windy weather sweeping across the country and that is set to last for the next several days.

"Plenty of heavy showers, very windy conditions and a chill in that wind also.

"It really will quite chilly when the wind is blowing, and it will be blowing pretty strong, especially on Thursday."

Friday and Saturday are also set to be blustery due to a "pretty powerful jet stream" driving weather fronts across the UK due to low pressure systems from the Atlantic.

Showers will be heaviest and most frequent in the west, with hail, thunder and snow over high ground, the Met Office warns.

The rain will ease on Sunday but the strong winds will remain.

Leading bookmaker Coral has cut the odds to 1-2 (from 4-5) on the wind speed hitting 100mph in mainland UK before the end of the week.

The firm makes it 4-5 for -10C or lower being recorded by the time the weekend is up, while it is 5-4 for this month to finish as the wettest March ever.

Coral's John Hill said: "It's going to be an unsettled few days ahead with rain and storms set to hit large parts of the UK.

"We make it odds-on for the wind speed to reach as high as 100mph in the mainland, while temperatures look likely to drop to -10C before the week is out."

Engineers today were out fixing faults as gales sent trees crashing across electricity cables.

Several thousand homes were blacked out in the Chippenham and Calne area of Wiltshire this morning.

More than 120 homes were without electricity in Stockport, near Manchester, and another 180 were blacked out at Seaham, near Sunderland.

And thousands of people living in North Wales said they live "in constant dread" of their homes being flooded as bouts of torrential rain return.

They fear a repeat of Storm Ciara in February 2020 which swamped towns and villages, causing millions of pounds of damage.

The RNLI has urged people to exercise caution if visiting exposed cliffs, seafronts or piers due to the "severe safety risk" caused by the wind, which is expected to be accompanied by heavy showers.

The charity's head of water safety Gareth Morrison said: "We would encourage everyone to follow the latest Government guidelines on what they are able to do and where they are able to go during lockdown, but for anyone visiting a coastal area please understand the risks to be as safe as possible and not put unnecessary strain on front line services.

"In a normal year around 150 people lose their lives at the coast and we know that more than half of those never intended to be in the water.

"So, whether you are walking, running or cycling at the coast, please be extra responsible and avoid taking unnecessary risks or entering the water.

"In particular, we ask people to stay well back from stormy, wintry seas and cliff edges, check tide times before you go, take a phone with you, and call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard if you or someone else is in trouble."

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