‘St Jude storm’ likely to hit southwest England today

Just another one of those weather anomalies that seem so common these days:

Southern England and south Wales are on amber alert in anticipation of torrential rain and 80mph gales expected on Monday in what could be one of the worst storms since 1987.

“The storm is developing over the Atlantic and is likely to hit south-west England just after midnight on Monday morning and then track north-east across the country,” Emma Compton, a Met Office forecaster, told the Observer. “We have three grades of warning – yellow, amber and red. Amber simply means ‘be prepared’.”

The Environment Agency has warned of widespread flooding caused by up to 25mm of rain in six hours. High winds could bring down trees, damage homes and buildings and bring power cuts and transport disruption during Monday’s rush hour.