Exact time Storm Lilian will strike bringing carnage as 20 MILLION to hit roads on ‘busiest August Bank Holiday ever’
THE exact time Storm Lilan will hit the UK has been revealed, with forecasters predicting widespread road disruption.
Strong winds and heavy rain are expected to hit Ireland at around 6pm today before reaching the UK at approximately 8pm.
Storm Lilan will continue moving northeast tomorrow, with wind speeds reaching over 75 mph in some areas.
Nearly 20 million cars are expected to hit UK roads as Brits go “day trip crazy” over the break.
However, some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport are likely in regions affected by the adverse weather, forecasters said.
Met Office Chief Meteorologist Jason Kelly said: “Storm Lilian will bring some potentially damaging gusts during Friday morning, with gusts widely in the 50-60mph range, with the possibility of some gusts in excess of 75mph in a few places.”
A yellow wind warning has also been issued covering northern England and north Wales from 5am to 11am on Friday.
Forecasters have also issued warnings for parts of Scotland where heavy rainfall is expected.
“Within the warning area, another 50mm of rain is possible over high ground, with 20-30mm falling quite widely,” Jason added.
Storm Lilan is set to disperse over the North Sea, reducing wing and rainfall for most.
However, scattered showers are forecasted for the south of England by the end of the day.
The Met has warned Brits in the southern parts of England to expect heavy rainfall in the morning.
The downpour should clear by mid-afternoon, with just a few showers predicted.
By Monday, the weather will have cleared with many south and eastern areas remaining dry.
Lilian is the fifth named storm so far this year, and the first since April.
The warning comes as drivers have been told to avoid travelling on key dates during what is set to be the “busiest August Bank Holiday ever”.
Train and bus services will probably be affected and power cuts are also possible.
And there could be delays on coastal routes, exposed roads and bridges – especially for high-sided lorries.
It means that Brits risk having their bank holiday plans thrown into disarray with the RAC estimating that 19.2 million leisure trips by car will be made across the UK between Friday and Monday.
This is the highest figure since the organisation began tracking the stats back in 2015.
A whopping 84% of these are set to be day trips, meaning extra congestion at peak times on Britain’s roads.
Road closures on Bank holiday monday
M25
- M25 clockwise and anticlockwise closure to the M40 southbound link road near Uxbridge. Closure in place from 10pm until 6am the following morning
- M25 clockwise closure between junction 10 and 11 near Wisley and Chertsey. Closure in place from 10pm until 5.30am the following morning
- M25 anticlockwise closure between junction 9 and 8 near Leatherhead and Reigate. Closure in place from 10pm and 5.30am the following morning
- M25 clockwise closure to the M23 northbound and southbound link road near Gatwick. Closure in place from 10pm until 5am the following morning
M3
- M3 southbound closure from junction 4a to junction 5 near Camberley and Fleet. Closure in place from 9pm until 6am the following morning
- M3 westbound closure from junction 2 between exit and entry slip roads near Thorpe. Closure in place from 10pm until 5am the following morning
A3
- A3 northbound closure at the Hindhead Tunnel entry slip road. Closure in place from 9pm until 6am the following morning
- A3 northbound closure at the Wisley exit slip road. Closure in place from 10pm until 5.30am the following morning
- A3 eastbound closure at Painshill Park exit slip road. Closure in place fro 10pm until 6am the following morning
Those hoping to beat the worst of the jams have been urged to pick their spots carefully to avoid the busiest hours.
The RAC’s analysis suggests that Saturday August 24 will see the most activity.
A massive 3.7 million journeys are estimated to be planned for the date.
That’s just more than the day before with 3.2 million, while Sunday, August 25 is set to see 3.1 million.
The Bank Holiday Monday is predicted to be the quietest period, although still with roughly 3 million trips expected.
Delays are set to blight Brits throughout Friday and Saturday.
Travel experts at data firm INRIX have suggested that the worst windows will come between 10am and 6pm on Friday and 10am and 1pm on Saturday.
The weekend also coincides with Leeds and Reading festivals, with extra congestion predicted on routes including the A1, M62, M4 and A64.
The RAC recommends avoiding these roads where possible and trying to plan your journey outside of the most affected times.
National Highways has announced that it will be lifting more than 500 miles of roadworks across the country to accommodate the extra demand.
Bosses estimate that 97% of the road network will be without roadworks in time for the rush.
The best and worst times to travel this Bank Holiday weekend
Transport analytics specialists INRIX expect delays to last all day on both Friday 23 and Saturday 24 August
The worst time to travel
- Friday 10am – 6pm
- Saturday 10am – 1pm
Best time to travel
- Friday evening after 6pm when the worst of the commuter traffic is over.
- Saturday after 2pm, following the lunchtime rush.