Yellow weather warnings - sensible precautions or scaremongering?

I don’t bother with weather reports they rarely seem right
If it happens it happens, no point worrying about all the ‘what ifs’

I don't think the forecast covers small enough areas to give everyone an accurate forecast. Plus so much depends on whether people live by the sea, on the top of a hill, below or beside a river, etc.

The main thing we look out for is icy conditions because there are so many windy roads and hills around here so icy roads are a nightmare. Plus winds, because of the trees around the house. One of our neighbour's trees came down and nearly landed on the side of our roof during one storm.

Living only a couple of miles from the Welsh border, we get a lot of Midlands Today threats about bad weather. Most of it never comes to pass and we get whatever Wales is getting instead. I'd pay the TV forecasters according to accuracy performance. They say, "It's not a precise science," which they seem to imagine excuses the fact that they're paid nice media money to be unreliable.

My weather app, allegedly giving a forecast for our village, is pretty accurate. I don’t get any scaremongering about conditions in other parts of the county as happens on the tv weather forecast.

I shall look out of the window on Friday morning, then decide whether to go shopping or stay in and read my book

Last October I was flying from Ireland to England and lay awake all night expecting my drive to airport to be a disaster and my flight to he cancelled. All was fine. Except I was exhausted when I arrived in England

I’d prefer to get up really early on Saturday and drive up then I think, before it gets too busy. I don’t mind the actual driving in windy weather, but I’m scared of a tree falling on my car. Could you stay over Saturday night instead of Friday night and drive home on Sunday?

As far as I'm aware this coming storm will affect Southern Ireland and Scotland and possibly northern counties of England. Some gusts of 90 are forecast but the 250 referred to the jet stream. I am taking it seriously and have cancelled appointments in Friday, and my daughter and her partner, who had planned to drive up to Scotland from Nottingham on Friday are travelling on Thursday evening instead.
The scaremongering isn't down to the weather forecasters but to the tabloid press which exaggerate things to sell their papers - there's an element if truth in what they print if you take out the hyperbole!

Don't worry!

And I know you'll have a fantastic time at Ballet Shoes 🩰
We've been twice now and it's wonderful

Where do you need to travel to from to see that show?
I think if it were me I'd let the train take the strain if poss.

The BBC tend to predict worse conditions than other sites, here in the Midland we are forecast to be rough winds Friday morning for about 5 hours, it’s frontal weather so the timing might be different, most of the rain will get dumped on Wales and the SW. Up north on high ground it’s going to be much worse.

The real problem is that the weather does not listen to the forecast

Have you decided what to do RosiesMaw? Like you, I've been awake all night with all those weather reports rushing through my mind.
They say, if you don't need to go anywhere, stay put, but not wanting to disappoint someone is also a troublesome issue. I'm starting to feel like I'm chickening out by saying I don't want to go. Especially like yourself, when the date can't be rescheduled.
I'm going to walk the dog on the beach in an hour to clear my head a bit, and make a decision. I know DH is desperate to go.

Pure sensationalism.
A few short years back Age UK appealed to the tabloid media to desist from their blown-up headlines about winter weather: claims about a 3 month long record-breaking ice age, temperatures plunging to an all-time low, blizzards trapping us all indoors for weeks and pensioners facing starvation.
These screaming headlines were terrifying the elderly, in particular, and so an appeal went out to stop the hysteria.

Needless to say, this appeal was ignored.

Well ever since the time that Micheal Fish got it wrong about the storm they are covering their backs but of course it is the boy who cried wolf. They are also copying the wretched americans who dont think about the probability of something but if they might be sued for not getting things right.

Well up here we have little microclimates so that if you go up swaledale and down wensleydale you can have rain in one dale and dry in the other. Personally I have always used my own brain and common sense to decide what and how I do concerning the weather. I have sailed and have a farming background so that we are all used to looking at the likely possibility, making sure we have basic provisions in the house in case of sudden snow and at this time of year I carry a spade, spare jumpers etc etc as a precaution and then just look out on the day and make my own decision.

In any case in Yorkshire we are used to making sensible provision and getting on with life. When I lived in London they thought the slightest touch of snow needed a snow plough. we have all lived long enough to trust our own common sense, have family and friends we can contact to see if there is worse weather where we plan to go.

So as a basic, I think if the journey wasnt really necessary you might put it off for a better day and if it is important carry on with care.

Like I said on the other thread. The met O is acting defensively, covering their backs. The weather models are all over the place and weather via jet stream is constantly changing as the jet stream moves

Where I live, it will be windy starting this evening via gusts of around 30 to 45 mph, maybe a couple at 60 during the early hours tomorrow morning. Nothing unusual for winter

Sensible precautions should always be taken anyway, outdoor missiles tucked away, wobbly trees cut down

I will be going out tomorrow morning for a local walk, to enjoy the fresh air

As always it is risk v reward

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RosiesMaw2
I live about 20 miles from Birmingham. Looking at various sites, it seems that the worst of the storm will affect mainly Ireland and the North West of Britain.
It's likely to be windy and wet during the early hours of Friday morning in the west Midlands, but improving during the day.

I travelled by train down to Plymouth from Birmingham during a bad storm last year. There were some cancellations but I got there in the end.
I've included screen shots of today's forecast for my area and one of the national forecast.

Thoe who think that the forecasters exaggerate the dangers have a simple answer - don't watch or read them. Always make sue you have a spade handy to clear up the snow, keep loose items under cover, and have a stock of non-perishable food, then you are not taken unawares.

You could probably judge for yourself when bad weather in imminent in your area, and take any extra precautions. If you know you are not observant enough to read the signs of an approaching storm, then ignore the foregoing, you are better taking a look at those who make their living by forecasting- after all they will come closer than you will. Or ask a farmer or fisherman.

We lived in the South of England when the big storm hit in 1990.

Our children’s school was evacuated, the chimneys on the Victorian buildings were swaying, I watched the old bike sheds lift off the ground and then fall back down in pieces.

It was too dangerous to go out for falling debris, my husband was 14 miles from home, it took him over 4 hours to get back.

We were without power for 6 days, I was able to use my husbands offices during the day to keep the children occupied, I cooked our meals there with the food I had rescued from the fridge and freezer, they had a wonderful time!

They issue warnings about fire every time it is hot and windy here. I’m glad and also that they now tell people to evacuate rather than stay home and try to fight the fires. Mostly you can’t. Now that people have died they realise that so instructions have changed and they are much more careful. Best to be safe, not sorry.

We've just had biblical hailstones and thunder and lightning here in Devon. The sort of stuff where I've had to put my trousers straight in the machine.
The weird thing is, it goes as quickly as it comes like a whhoosh.

😯

It's just raining here.

Or ask a farmer or fisherman

Farmers are always pessimistic about the weather!

Blue sky and sunshine now! Bonkers.

I have moved my garden furniture to an area that does not catch the wind, otherwise, it might blow onto the French windows and smash the, moved the bins to a safe area too. If the heavy winds do not arrive all I need to do is put them back again, so I am glad we have been warned. There is nothing I can do about the wind taking the roof off my home though!!!

There are Red Weather Warnings for Ireland and parts of Scotland. Keep an eye on the forecast everybody, especially if you are going out and about. I will be in with my books!

Just watching the news and there is now red weather warning across Scotland and Nothern Ireland. Seems all schools in NI will be closed tomorrow. Not sure what the plan is for Scotland yet. FM & police are advising 3m people not to travel tomorrow.