Weather Warnings and Advisories
YELLOW WARNING DETAILS
Late Wednesday morning we will see a large area of persistent rain moving up from the southwest, some of which is likely to be heavy at times as we move through the afternoon and evening.
15-20mm of rainfall will fall widely but with some parts seeing totals as high as 30-40mm, adding to the already high river levels from all the recent rainfall, with the heaviest rain most likely the further south you are.
It should be noted that some of the weather models are suggesting that the heaviest rain will move through the English channel, so there is a level of uncertainty to this update, however the majority of the models we use suggest at least 15-20mm of rainfall, so for now we will keep the warning active, but please check back later.
POSSIBLE IMPACTS, EFFECTS AND MEASURES
• Surface water and flooded roads leading to hazardous driving conditions
• Water courses breaching their banks in the usual prone spots with flooding possible in all the well known areas
• Risk of flooded properties so be prepared
• Polluted storm water on the islands beaches where any heavier rain falls
WEATHER TYPE: Heavy Rain
TIME AND DATE ISSUED: 09:00 on Tuesday, January 28th
VALID FROM: 13:00 on Wednesday, January 29th until 06:00 on Thursday, January 30th
EARLY WEATHER WARNINGS/WATCHES
An early warning or watch will be issued if the risk of severe weather is either very uncertain or is more than 72 hours ahead. Weather types can include: High Winds, Heavy Rainfall and Snow.
ADVISORIES
These are issued for very limited or extremely localised severe weather. The conditions may still cause a few disruptions to outdoor events and activities as well as a few travel disruptions or delays.
We also issue advisories for very cold temperatures: In winter when the average temperature is expected to remain below 3°C for a period of 36 hours or longer. A frost alert will be issued if the temperature is likely to fall below 3°C at any time of the year, but will be covered by our regularly updated frost maps.
We also issue separate Large Wave Advisories for Eastern and Southern parts of the island during the summer months if the swell is likely to be in excess of 2 meters.
Other weather types can include: Ice/Black Ice, Snow, Fog, Large Waves, Storm Surge, Flooding, Heavy Rainfall, Thunderstorms, Squalls and Frequent Wind Gusts reaching 45-55mph between 1st April and 30th September, although we do not issue wind advisories outside of these times.
YELLOW WARNING means there is a risk of disruption to everyday activities such as outdoor leisure activities as well as the potential for some travel disruptions. There may be some property damage depending on the weather type and there may also be a risk of accident or injury due to the weather if you are spending time outdoors.
Weather types include: Large Waves, Storm Surge, Flooding, Heavy Rainfall, Thunderstorms, Snow, Ice or Black Ice, Freezing Rain, Fog, Squalls and Frequent Wind Gusts reaching 55-70mph between 1st April and 30th September, or 65-75mph from 1st October until the 31st of March.
AMBER WARNING means A higher likelihood of disruptions and damage could occur than with Yellow Warning along with a more widespread risk. The risk of accident or injury due to the weather is significantly heightened with potential danger to life. There is also a significant risk of travel disruption as well as possible power cuts.
Weather types include: Storm Surge, Flooding, Heavy Rainfall, Thunderstorms, Snow, Ice or Black Ice, Freezing Rain and Frequent Wind Gusts reaching up to 70-85mph between 1st April and 30th September, or 75-85mph from 1st October until the 31st of March
RED WARNING means that very dangerous conditions are expected with a significant risk of accident or injury as well as danger to life and property. It is advisable to take the correct action to protect yourself and others from the severe conditions, and if possible to follow advice given on national and local broadcasts. Power cuts and severe travel disruption is also very likely.
Weather types include: Flooding, Extreme Rainfall, Extreme Snowfall, Blizzards, Freezing Rain and Frequent Wind Gusts of 85mph or higher
Planning ahead could potentially save lives, so make a safety plan if severe weather is expected and follow local and national updates on television, radio and online.
ABOUT OUR WARNINGS
There are many variables that come with each warning and we take into account the time of year, the time of day and also the conditions running up to the severe weather event. Summer warnings tend to be issued under slightly less severe weather than in wintertime as there are many visitors on the IOW along with a dramatically increased amount of people outdoors enjoying various activities and inevitably a larger amount of people driving on the islands roads, so here is a rough guideline to different weather types and the warnings associated with them.
WEATHER WARNINGS
A Severe Weather Warning will be issued if severe weather is likely within 72 hours and under exceptional circumstances 96 hours.