Met Office issues 'danger to life' warning of strong winds ahead of Easter

The Met Office has warned there is a “small chance” of injuries and “danger to life” as a result of strong winds and large waves hitting the south of England.

A man watches waves as they hit a seawall in Cornwall. Pic: PA

Winds of up to 70mph battered the south coast, along with hail and thunder, as the Easter weekend kicks off.

Yellow weather warnings for rain and strong winds were issued across parts of the south of England and Northern Ireland respectively.

A ferry arrives at the Port of Dover in Kent during rough seas. Pic: PA

Find out the forecast for where you live

The caution for the south of England warned of a slight chance of power cuts as well as “a small chance that injuries and danger to life could occur from large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties”.

Pic: Met Office

The warning is in place until 11.59pm on Thursday.

The warning for Northern Ireland said “a few” homes and businesses could be flooded and is in place until 3am on Friday.

The unsettled conditions are expected to continue into Easter, as the bank holiday weekend leads into a two-week break for many schools.

Sky News weather producer Joanna Robinson said Good Friday will be less windy than Thursday, with a few showers around on Saturday and Easter Sunday, along with pleasant sunny spells.

Temperatures of up to 15C (59F) are expected in west London and 14C (57.2F) in Manchester on Sunday, which is typical for the time of year.

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Traffic in Dover. Pic: PA

Rain is then set to return to the south on Easter Monday.

PA file pic

It comes as Britons have been warned of long delays over their Easter getaways with more than 14 million journeys expected on the roads alone.

At least three major airports have said that the coming days will be their busiest-ever Easter weekend while 493 different pieces of planned engineering works are set to take place on the railways.

Snowy conditions on Dartmoor. Pic: PA

Meanwhile, nearly two inches of snow fell in parts of South West England and Wales overnight on Wednesday.

Temperatures dropped to lows of -1.2C in Okehampton, west Devon, while nearly three inches of snow was recorded in Sennybridge, Powys, on Thursday morning.

Rose Mallard, 50, a smallholder from near Bideford, north Devon, said it was a “gift” to wake up to see the snow settled and a beautiful blue sky.

Jack Campbell pushes his son Harvey on a sledge in the snow on Dartmoor. Pic: PA