Warnings Issued as Bad Weather Bears Down

DEFA is warning people to stay out of forests and the Steam Packet has cancelled all of Wednesday’s sailings as gale force winds bear down on the island.

Gusts of up to between 70mph and 75mph will hit the island between 9am and 5pm tomorrow, with the Met Office issuing a yellow weather warning.

Gale to severe gale force south or south-southwest winds developing on Wednesday morning with gusts 55 to 65mph, widely, but perhaps 70-75mph in more exposed locations.

Some travel disruption likely as well as minor structural damage in places, with the risk of trees or branches falling onto some roads &/or overhead conductors.

There’ll be a period of heavy rain too, which will probably give localised problems due to standing water on roads where gullies become blocked by further autumn leaves. The wind will veer southwest mid to late afternoon, with the gales slowly abating.

This has led to the Steam Packet cancelling tomorrow’s 8.45am sailing to Heysham and 2.15pm return, as well as the Arrow’s overnight freight run from Wednesday into Thursday.

DEFA has also advised people to stay out of the island’s forests, as the winds ‘are likely to be sufficient to cause some damage to trees, which could be as minor as a broken branch or as severe as multiple uprooted trees’.

The department added: ‘WE STRONGLY ADVISE THAT FORESTS AND GLENS ARE AVOIDED BETWEEN THESE TIMES.

‘Our staff will be carrying out routine inspections in the following days to check that our most popular routes are unaffected. In the meantime, if you’re planning a trip out to our Glens and plantations later in the week, please take extra care and beware of trees which may have incurred some damage during the winds. If you spot anything you think we should be aware of please contact us through Facebook or by email (forestry@gov.im).’