Weather advisory issued for strong winds and heavy rain on Saturday

A weather advisory has been issued for Saturday February 7 warning of strong south-westerly winds and periods of heavy rain between 1pm and 10pm.

While following the recent stormy weather some roads remain closed by the RGP, including Rosia Road past GibVet. The Dudley Ward tunnel opened early on Friday morning.

Regarding Saturday, forecasters say fronts associated with a low pressure system approaching the west of Iberia will cause south-westerly winds to strengthen through Saturday morning and into the afternoon.

Mean wind speeds are expected to increase to between 25 and 30 knots (46–56km/h), with frequent gusts of 40–45 knots (74–83km/h) and isolated gusts of 45–50 knots (83–93km/h) possible at times.

Rainfall, perhaps heavy at times, will accompany these winds.

The advisory notes that such alerts are issued when there is a risk of gale force winds, with mean wind speeds of 34–40 knots (63–74km/h) and gusts of 43 knots (80km/h) or more. Travel conditions are expected to become difficult at times, particularly in exposed areas.