Storm Gladys Prompt UK Met Office to Issue Fresh Weather Warnings Until Monday

Storm Gladys is expected to enter and make landfall in the UK in the coming days. With no clear impact of the storm in sight, UK meteorologists issued fresh weather warnings in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales.

The potential entry of Storm Gladys will occur days after storms Dudley, Eunice, and Franklin battered the UK and Europe, leaving multiple casualties and wreaking havoc on infrastructure; as well as disrupting road, rail, ferry, and air travel.

Storm Gladys

(Photo : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) via Getty Images)

Storms Dudley, Eunice, and Franklin wreak havoc in the UK's Northern Island, Wales, England, and Scotland over the past week. Now, a new storm bringing potentially heavy rain, snow, strong winds, and flooding is looming. The new storm is expected to be named Storm Gladys.

Also read: Storm Franklin: 'Danger to Life' Flood Warnings Across Britain

Fresh Weather Warnings

Since Wednesday, Feb. 23, the UK Meteorological Office (Met Office) has issued several fresh weather warnings across the UK for Thursday, Feb. 24; Friday, Feb. 25; Saturday, Feb. 26; Sunday, Feb. 27; and Monday, Feb. 28.

The Met Office warned of flash floods in England, Scotland, and Wales. In addition, the UK weather agency issued a snow warning in several parts across the UK. The collective warnings fall under a yellow weather warning which started on Thursday afternoon, as per News Letter.

Under the yellow weather warning, there are potential risks for life-threatening hazards and damage to infrastructure. There is also a possibility to disrupt travel, including delays in road traffic movement, rail services, flight operations, and ferry trips.

The UK can also witness power outages and disruption of digital communication, including mobile data and signal loss. The yellow weather warning is the lowest out of the three weather warnings measures by the Met Office.

Recent Storms in the UK

The Met Office started naming storms in 2015. The recent passage of Storm Dudley, Storm Eunice, and Storm Franklin, within one week from Wednesday, Feb. 16, is the first incident of a multi-storm phenomenon in the UK within a short time period over recent years, according to The Scotsman.

Storms Dudley, Eunice, and Franklin caused widespread damage and disruption across the UK due to their strong winds. The trio also affected large parts of Europe, grounding flight operations and railway services. The recent storms killed several people and left at least a million people without power.

UK Winter Season

The UK is currently in its winter season which spans between December and February each year. During the season, the country often experiences rainy weather-ranging from cold to freezing temperatures with the occurrence of heavy snow.

The recent storm pattern traversed by the recent storms is a common route through the UK and Europe. This is because of the formation of storms in the Atlantic Ocean, off the southwestern coast of Northern Ireland and Ireland travel in a northeastern movement.

Storm Gladys is also expected to take a similar route in the coming days.

The worst storm in modern history recorded in the UK and Europe occurred in 1987. The storm was a cross-country hurricane with tremendous winds, killing at least 18 people and causing large-scale disruption across the UK, France, and other parts of Europe, as per BBC.