UK households told to close windows from 6am as Met Office upgrades warning

Households in England as well as Scotland and Wales are being urged to close and 'securely fasten' windows as well as doors as Storm Floris touches down and blasts the UK with up to 90mph winds.

The Met Office has upgraded its yellow weather warning to a more severe amber warning in parts of the UK on Monday, while the existing yellow weather warning also remains in place for an even larger area, prompting it to issue advice to households which includes shutting windows. The forecaster is predicting winds of between 40mph and 90mph across several parts of the country. A total of 68 areas are affected, with the amber warning for 28 areas spanning 12 hours and the yellow warning set to last for 18 hours across 68 areas.

The amber warning areas include Glasgow and Edinburgh and much of Scotland, while the yellow warning area includes most of Northern Ireland as well as almost the entire north of England including Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle and Lancaster as well as Carlise, York and Bradford. Bangor and St Asaph in North Wales are also affected.

In its linked advice on how to stay safe in a storm, the Met Office said: "Between 1962 and 1995, 184 deaths alone were caused by building failures resulting from wind. The majority of damage reports come from domestic dwellings. The average cost of damage each year is at least £300 million.

"Close and securely fasten doors and windows, particularly those on the windward side of the house, and especially large doors such as those on garages

"Secure loose objects such as ladders, garden furniture or anything else that could be blown into windows and other glazing and break them.

"Park vehicles in a garage, if available; otherwise keep them clear of buildings, trees, walls and fences.

"Close and secure loft trapdoors with bolts, particularly if roof pitch is less than 30°.

"If chimney stacks are tall and in poor condition, move beds away from areas directly below them."

The Met Office said in its yellow warning: "Storm Floris will bring a spell of unusually windy weather for the time of year across the northern half of the UK on Monday. The highest winds are expected across Scotland between late morning and early evening. In some areas high winds will be accompanied by heavy rain. Wind will then slowly start to ease from the west later.

"Across the warning area, many inland areas are likely to see gusts of 40 to 50 mph with 60 to 70 mph possible along exposed coasts and high ground, especially Scotland. During the height of the storm, winds over parts of Scotland will be even higher and this is covered by a separate amber warning."

The amber warning adds: "Gusts of 50 to 70 mph are expected for many parts, and are likely to reach 80 to 90 mph on some exposed coasts, hills and bridges.

Western coastal areas will see the highest gusts between late morning and early afternoon, the strongest winds then transferring to northeastern Scotland by late afternoon/early evening."