UK weather: Warnings issued over strong winds and thunderstorms - BBC

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By Andre Rhoden-Paul & Megan Fisher

BBC News

Severe weather warnings have been issued over strong winds and thunderstorms forecast in the UK.

Gusts could reach over 60mph in the most exposed parts of the southern England coast, the Met Office said.

Heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected in central and south-east England and Wales, with some locations facing 40mm of rain within a few hours.

The bad weather is being caused by an unseasonal deep area of low pressure for this time of year.

The yellow severe weather warning for wind on Wednesday, covering coastal southern England, is in force between 04:00 BST and 18:00.

The Met Office is warning of travel disruption, trees being damaged and seafront and coastal communities being affected by spray and large waves.

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It forecast gusts reaching 50mph (80km/h) in some English Channel coastal areas, 55 to 60mph (86 to 97km/h) in the most exposed locations in the far south-west, and possibly higher speeds in exposed parts of coastal southern England.

In central and south-east England and Wales, there is a yellow severe weather warning for thunderstorms from 09:00 to 20:00, with the possibility of some flooding.

Some damage to buildings from lightning strikes, short-term loss of power, and train delays are expected, as well as standing water on roads.

Meanwhile, in parts of north-east England, a yellow severe weather warning has been issued for heavy rain and is in place from 11:00 and 20:00.

The wet weather has been bad news for holidaymakers enjoying the school holidays.

Lisa Vickery, owner of MacDonald's Farm in Porthcothan, told BBC Radio Cornwall "quite a few" campers had left due to heavy rain, or cancelled at the last minute.

"I think everyone wakes up praying that today's going to be a dry day, but we've never seen weather like this in the four years we've been here," she said.

"Whether that will mean next year they might rethink coming down here for their summer holiday and go abroad, we could see next year this has an impact."

Jo Rogers said her family were trying to make the best of their holiday at the campsite.

She said: "I think it's more a case of survival now, trying to make it nice for the kids, finding good things to do, running into the tent when it rains again."

Meanwhile on the Isle of Wight, Cowes Week - the world's largest sailing regatta - cancelled all races on Wednesday due to the high winds forecast.

In Redcar, North Yorkshire, horse racing has been abandoned due to the weather. Hastings Pier has been closed due to winds.

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BBC Weather meteorologist and presenter Sarah Keith-Lucas explained the unseasonably wet and windy weather the UK was experiencing was due to a storm system the French Meteorological Department had named Patricia, which is crossing the UK.

She said: "Heavy thundery downpours are likely for Wales, the Midlands and southern England. These showers may bring large hail, and torrential rain, leading to a chance of localised flooding.

"The winds will be strong in the south, with gusts up to 60mph possible in the Bristol Channel and English Channel. Travel disruption and power cuts are possible due to the stormy weather, as well as large waves along the south coast."

Elsewhere, she said heavy rain would move eastwards across Northern Ireland, northern England and southern Scotland throughout Wednesday.

And what about Thursday? Met Office chief meteorologist Dan Suri said the low pressure will pull away eastwards from the UK during Wednesday evening and night, making for a calmer Thursday - although heavy showers could persist.

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The RAC has warned motorists to slow down during challenging driving conditions.

Rod Dennis, a spokesperson for the RAC, said: "Drivers attempting to drive through patches of standing water risk losing control, so the best course of action is to slow down and carefully avoid them whenever possible.

"As the wind will be especially strong along southern coasts, drivers towing caravans will need to be cautious, while those carrying items on the roof should make sure these are properly secured."

Birmingham Airport, airline Jet 2 and train companies Avanti West coast, South Western Railway and Great Western Railway said their services were unaffected by the weather.

Wightlink, which runs ferries across The Solent between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, said their service was running normally.

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• Severe weather

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2023-08-02 12:24:23Z
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Nicholas Rossi: Rape suspect accused of faking his own death can be extradited to the US, court rules - Sky News

A Scottish court has ruled a suspected rapist who apparently faked his own death can be sent back to the United States to face serious sex charges.

Nicholas Rossi, who claims he is an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight, has been at the centre of a long-running extradition battle in Edinburgh.

American law enforcement officials claim he is a fugitive who fled to the UK to evade justice.

An international game of hide and seek ended when Rossi, 35, was tracked down via an Interpol red notice while unconscious in a COVID hospital ward in Glasgow in 2021.

He was arrested after his tattoos and fingerprints matched National Crime Agency documents.

Last November, a Scottish court ruled he was the suspect American authorities have been attempting to track down.

Rossi has deliberately delayed extradition proceedings by claiming it is a case of mistaken identity. His legal fees, running into the tens of thousands, are being paid for by the taxpayer.

Rossi's series of lurid suggestions that tattoos were planted on his body while in a coma for coronavirus were previously branded "scandalous" by a Scottish sheriff.

He also claimed UK and US officials were colluding to stitch him up.

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In court, it was suggested Rossi "voluntarily" attended court by videolink ", but in an outburst, he claimed he had been brought before the camera by "physical force", calling the sheriff "a disgrace to justice".

Sheriff Norman McFadyen told Edinburgh Sheriff Court: "I conclude that extradition would be compatible with the Convention rights within the meaning of the Human Rights Act 1998.

"It follows that I must send the case of the requested person Nicholas Rossi to the Scottish ministers for their decision whether he is to be extradited."

It is now expected Scotland's justice secretary will rubber-stamp the move.

Sheriff McFadyen added: "I conclude that he is as dishonest and deceitful as he is evasive and manipulative. These unfortunate facets of his character have undoubtedly complicated and extended what is ultimately a straightforward case."

He had 'no medical need' for a wheelchair - but used one anyway

In what has become an international spectacle, Edinburgh Sheriff Court has played host to a string of hearings spanning more than 18 months.

Rossi was transported to and from jail in an accessible prison vehicle due to, what he describes as, the inability to stand or walk amid health complications.

The court heard from HMP Edinburgh's GP who ruled she could find "no medical need" for Rossi to have a wheelchair. She, in fact, found his legs to be "athletic".

During extradition proceedings, Rossi spoke in a hoarse, weak, slow-paced English accent.

A Dublin accent could be heard when he referred to his apparent childhood in Ireland.

A medical expert said during her private consultations with Rossi, his speech sped up and improved the longer he spoke.

Read more:
Rossi's arrest in Scotland
Suspect calls convicted child sex offender as witness
Rossi attempts to dismiss his lawyer

Image: Rossi in July last year

A raft of witnesses branded the suspected rapist manipulative, narcissistic and aggressive.

A psychiatrist said Rossi was "keen to attract a psychiatric diagnosis" and demanded to be sectioned despite her believing he had no mental illness.

The prosecutor put to Rossi that no one can trust a word he says.

The alleged fugitive could then appeal the court's decision in a process that could take years, according to an extradition expert.

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2023-08-02 11:15:00Z
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BBC Weather issues ‘important announcement’ saying it has ‘finally found summer’ and revealing exact date - Wales Online

After weeks of rain and little to no sign of summer forecasters have finally offered some hope by suggesting when the warm dry weather could return. After the sixth-wettest July on record for the UK it looks like we may finally see some sun again – and there's not too long to wait.

In a short teaser video on X, formerly known as Twitter), BBC weather shared a clip showing high pressure over the UK on Thursday, August 10. They captioned the clip: "We have an important announcement for those fed up with being rained on. After 6 weeks of being AWOL, we have finally found summer."

The damp July has come straight after what was the hottest June on record so while it has been wet for the last few weeks temperatures have remained fairly warm creating a heavy, humid feel. However hopefully clearer skies will soon return to make it feel as though we have at least some sort of summer.

Read more:When it's going to stop raining according to the Met Office

According to the BBC weather for Wales the country won't see a fully clear day until Wednesday, August 9. Until then there will be showers every day with heavy rain also expected on some of those days. Temperature-wise Wales looks set to remain around 17°C but dropping as low as 10°C overnight.

The Met Office paints a similar picture but suggests that some parts of the country could see the sun slightly earlier with Cardiff forecast to have a dry and sunny Sunday this weekend (August 6). It will then be cloudier for the rest of the week but currently appears to be dry for most of Wales.

Explaining why July had been so unseasonably wet compared to the month before it Met Office meteorologist Alex Deakin said the sudden shift was down to a change in the jet stream. Explaining exactly how the jet stream affected our weather he said: "[It's] all to do with the jet stream. [The change between June and July is] basically to do with a shift in the jet stream for most of June.

"Broadly speaking the jet stream was fast-moving – a ribbon of air high up in the atmosphere – and it takes low-pressure systems along with it generally to the north. So Iceland was getting hit by a lot of low-pressure systems in June. We are on the warm side of the jet and that's why high pressure was dominating across the UK hence why it was a very sunny month and generally an incredible month as well – the warmest June on record. Since then, almost exactly on the last day of June, well, probably the 27th or 28th, but the last few days of June were showery as well, but the jet has shifted south and it's more barrelling in across the UK."

The long-range Met Office forecast for the UK

Sunday, August 6, to Tuesday, August 15

"A mix of sunshine and showers initially, these most frequent and heaviest in the northwest, with the brightest conditions likely in the south, feeling more pleasant here. Changeable, often unsettled conditions, at least to start the following week, with showers and longer spells of rain likely, but some drier and brighter interludes, with these looking increasingly likely by the end of the week.

"Winds generally light to moderate, with a continued risk of strong winds at times with temperatures remaining below average. Beyond this, while changeable conditions are never too far away indications are that more settled conditions become the more likely scenario, but interspersed still with some more unsettled weather. Temperatures continue to be mostly below average although should start to recover through the period."

Wednesday, August 16, to Wednesday, August 30

"During the second half of August, there is a greater chance of more settled spells developing, with warmer and drier conditions becoming slightly more likely than the unseasonably unsettled weather of July. However, unsettled conditions are never too far away and so there will likely still be some spells of rain or showers for many areas from time to time. Temperatures look like they will recover to at least average, or a little above, however any prolonged dry or hot spells appear to be unlikely."

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2023-08-02 07:05:30Z
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Met Office issues yellow warnings as Britons set to be battered by thunderstorms - The Independent

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The Met Office has issued yellow alerts for storms and strong winds that are expected to impact several regions across the UK as wet and windy weather persists.

A yellow alert for storms stretching from London to Manchester and covering much of the Midlands and Wales has been issued for Wednesday. This warning will be in effect from 9am to 7pm BST.

The storm system is expected to bring heavy rain and slow-moving thunderstorms, leading to potential rainfall accumulation of 20-25mm within an hour. Some locations may see in excess of 40mm in a 2-3-hour period.

Another yellow alert has been issued in southern England for “unseasonably windy weather” between 4am and 6pm on Wednesday, leading to some disruption to travel and outdoor activities.

Gusts of up to 80km/h are likely in some coastal areas of the English Channel, with the most exposed locations in the far southwest possibly experiencing gusts of 89-97km/h.

“An unseasonably deep area of low pressure for the time of year will move into Ireland during the early hours of Wednesday then continue across Wales and England during Wednesday daytime,” Met Office Chief Meteorologist Dan Suri said.

“Heavy rain associated with this low [pressure] will affect large parts of the UK tonight and on Wednesday, some of the heaviest rain occurring on Wednesday over central parts of England and Wales where some locations could see 40mm of rain in just a few hours from thundery downpours.”

“This deep low will also bring high winds into the UK on Wednesday, especially the south. Gusts of up to 60mph [97km/h] are possible in the very far southwest early on Wednesday whilst further along the south coast the highest gusts will be during Wednesday daytime.”

Last month marked the UK’s sixth wettest July on record and the wettest in Northern Ireland’s history, with the UK averaging 140.1mm of rain across the month.

Areas in England further set new rainfall records, including Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside, which all experienced their wettest July since records began in 1836.

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2023-08-02 05:09:07Z
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Bibby Stockholm delay adds to disarray of Sunak’s ‘stop the boats’ pledge - The Guardian

It should have been the week when another key element of Rishi Sunak’s plans to tackle small boat Channel crossings finally fell into place.

Instead, yet more delays have frustrated the movement of the first 50 migrants on to the Bibby Stockholm. The three-storey-high barge was billed by the Home Office as a way of providing “cheaper and more orderly accommodation for those arriving in small boats”.

The latest delay is understood to have been to allow checks to take place amid fire safety concerns about the vessel, which arrived behind schedule in Portland, Dorset last month.

Yet it is also just one of a number of eye-catching – for better or worse – plans associated with Sunak’s “stop the boats” pledge that have struggled to get off the ground.

While the notion of “offshoring” asylum seekers has its roots in Priti Patel’s stint as home secretary, it was earlier this year, on Suella Braverman’s watch, that the use of floating barges to help slash a £6m-a-day bill for hotel rooms emerged.

It coincides with the less than smooth introduction of another part of the alternative accommodation project, using disused RAF bases in Lincolnshire and Essex to house asylum seekers.

The moves to house as many as 2,000 people at RAF Scampton have been delayed until October, according to the local parish council, while there is still confusion about the use of RAF Wethersfield in Essex. Both have been become a focus for protests by groupings including local residents, anti-racism campaigners and the far right, and have been dogged by legal action from local authorities and unhappiness among Tory MPs.

In the latter case, local people who attended an event convened by the Home Office in the village on Monday night told of coming away feeling even more frustrated because of what they said was a lack of answers.

Looming large over all of the other plans is the flagship project: the plan to fly people seeking asylum in the UK 4,500 miles to Rwanda to have their claims processed.

First announced by Boris Johnson, the project has been adopted with gusto by Sunak and Braverman, even if it has run up against tortuous legal challenges and the criticism of charities, human rights advocates and international bodies such as the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.

While the government continues to brief that it is optimistic about an appeal to the supreme court, court of appeal judges delivered a hammer blow in June when they ruled it was unlawful to send asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing.

One area where the government has been able to point to progress of a sort has been when it comes to the legislative framework that would underpin much of the above.

Last month it defeated the final resistance in the House of Lords to the plans, as the Conservative frontbench saw off five further changes to the bill, including modern slavery protections and child detention limits.

The illegal migration bill, which Rishi Sunak described on Tuesday as the “right, fair and compassionate thing to do”, is central to his “stop the boats” pledge and places a legal duty on the home secretary to detain and remove anyone entering the UK illegally.

But while the bill has overcome obstacles in a way that other components of the government’s migration plans have failed to, it was the focus of an unusually criticial UN statement last month. The UN’s human rights chief Volker Türk and its refugees head Filippo Grandi warned it would have “profound consequences for people in need of international protection”.

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2023-08-01 18:24:00Z
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David Hunter: Husband visits wife's Cyprus grave day after release - BBC

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A retired miner who killed his seriously ill wife has visited her grave the day after being freed from prison in Cyprus.

David Hunter was convicted of the manslaughter of his wife Janice, 74, in an assisted suicide at their home and jailed for two years.

The 76-year-old was freed after spending 19 months awaiting his trial.

After her death in December 2021, Mrs Hunter was buried near their home in Tremithousa, near Paphos.

Hunter, originally from Ashington in Northumberland, had been unable to visit the grave as he was admitted to hospital after trying to take his own life immediately after killing his wife of 52 years.

Family photograph

He was then held in prison before being cleared of premeditated murder but found guilty of manslaughter by a three-judge panel.

He was allowed to walk free within 15 minutes of being sentenced at Paphos District Court on Monday due to time already served and good behaviour.

Hunter could not initially find the grave and was guided to it by Michael Polak of Justice Abroad, which represented him during his trial.

Carrying a bouquet of pink, purple and yellow flowers, he knelt by the grave for about half an hour.

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The couple's daughter, Lesley Cawthorne, previously said she believed that her father would stay in Cyprus to be near Mrs Hunter's grave and "say his goodbyes properly".

Hunter told his trial, which lasted more than a year, that his wife "cried and begged" him to end her life as she suffered from blood cancer.

He said he would "never in a million years" have taken Mrs Hunter's life unless she had asked him to.

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He showed the court how he held his hands over his wife's mouth and nose and said he eventually decided to grant her wish after she became "hysterical".

Judges heard he then tried to kill himself by taking an overdose but paramedics arrived in time to save him.

Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk.

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2023-08-01 13:40:48Z
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David Hunter: British expat guilty of Cyprus mercy killing visits wife's grave for first time after prison release - Sky News

A British pensioner who killed his terminally ill wife in Cyprus to end her suffering has visited her grave for the first time the day after being freed from prison.

Retired miner David Hunter was released from custody on Monday after a court sentenced him to two years in jail for the manslaughter of Janice, his spouse of 52 years.

After her death in December 2021, Mrs Hunter was buried at a cemetery minutes from the couple's Cyprus home in Tremithousa - a small village near the coastal resort town of Paphos.

But Hunter, 76, has been unable to visit the grave as he was admitted to hospital immediately after Mrs Hunter's death following a failed suicide attempt, then taken into custody and prosecuted for murder.

The pensioner spent 19 months in prison before being cleared of premeditated murder but found guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter by a three-judge panel.

He was jailed for two years but allowed to walk free within 15 minutes of being sentenced at Paphos District Court due to time already served and good behaviour.

On Tuesday morning, he paid his first visit to Mrs Hunter's grave.

He could not initially find the plot and was guided to it by Michael Polak of Justice Abroad, which represented him during his trial.

Carrying a bouquet of pink, purple and yellow flowers, he immediately knelt down by the grave and appeared to be silently shaking.

Hunter stayed at the site for around half an hour.

The couple's daughter, Lesley Cawthorne, previously said she believes, rather than return to the UK, her father will initially choose to stay in Cyprus to be near Mrs Hunter's grave and "say his goodbyes properly".

Hunter, from Ashington, Northumberland, told his trial, which lasted for more than a year, that his wife had blood cancer and "begged him" to take her life because she was in so much pain.

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1:41

'I can't describe how I'm feeling'

He broke down in tears as he said he would "never in a million years" have taken Mrs Hunter's life unless she had asked him to.

He showed the court how he held his hands over his wife's mouth and nose and said he eventually decided to grant her wish after she became "hysterical".

Image: The house in Tremithousa, Cyprus where Mrs Hunter was killed by her husband

Judges heard he then tried to kill himself by taking an overdose but medics arrived in time to save him.

His legal team had argued Hunter should be given a suspended sentence, in a case which is a legal first in the country.

Image: The couple were married for 52 years

In mitigation, his defence lawyer, Ritsa Pekri, said his motive was to "liberate his wife from all that she was going through due to her health conditions".

The court heard it was Mrs Hunter's "wish" to die and that her husband "had only feelings of love for her".

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2023-08-01 11:48:45Z
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