Gale force winds cause London travel chaos, plane to land an hour early, bend Lords’ weather vane
Gale force wind warnings are in place for London and much of the rest of the UK today.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather alert for London and the south east today, saying it will be very windy, possibly reaching gale force speeds this morning.
It has also released this handy Vine with tips on what to look out for as the 60mph gusts continue (hint: falling branches).
Maximum temperatures are likely to be 12C, with very strong winds and scattered showers dampening the warmth from the bright, sunny spells.
The wind is being caused by a jet stream coming across the Atlantic, with winds so strong that it caused at least one seven-hour flight from Newark, New Jersey to Heathrow, London, to land 70 minutes early.
The fastest winds recorded last night were in Capel Curig, where speeds reached 97mph.
Here are the max wind gusts recorded last night. Warnings are still in place http://t.co/ziqeF8QF1E #WeatherAware pic.twitter.com/uE4F2eWFR8
— Met Office (@metoffice) March 31, 2015
The Father Time weather vane at Lord's cricket ground has been bent to a 90-degree angle. Specialists are now working to repair the damage to the vane, which was given to the MCC in 1926 by architect Sir Herbert Baker.
https://twitter.com/HomeOfCricket/status/582488050904801280
The Dartford Crossing has been closed to all vehicles due to strong winds, the Highways Agency said. The QE2 bridge on the M25 is also closed from junction 31 at West Thurrock to junction 1A at Swanscombe.
Trains are also being affected, with routes into Waterloo being delayed because of a fallen tree.
https://twitter.com/SW_Trains/status/582788666709393408
Trees have also fallen in central London.
https://twitter.com/belsizebulletin/status/582796184554725377
The Met Office has also put out warnings for most of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Further north and into Scotland, the warnings also include alerts for ice. The strong wind is expected to continue throughout the day, easing in overnight.
It was pretty windy today (Source: Getty)
March winds and April showers bring forth May flower (Source: Getty)
The Lords weather vane, in happier times (Source: Getty)