Essex weather: Met Office issues yellow wind warning as Storm Ellen set to batter UK
An earlier warning did not cover Essex, but it does now
Brad GrayMultimedia Reporter
When storms battered the country before (Image: Getty Images)
The Met Office has extended a yellow wind warning to cover the whole of Essex as Storm Ellen prepares to batter the country.
The warning is in place from 4am on Friday (August 22) until 6pm the same day.
It was originally in place for most of the UK, but excluded all of Essex, and parts of Hertfordshire, Suffolk and Kent.
However, the meteorological organisation have now expanded their weather warning to cover the entirety of the UK.
The yellow warning means that gusts of winds are expected to cause damage and disruption.
Train services and flights are expected to be delayed and could be cancelled altogether.
The Met Office's yellow warning now covers all of Essex (Image: Met Office)
Coastal roads and seaside communities may see spray caused by the wind affect everyday activities, and some communities are at risk of losing power.
The dramatic winds come as part of Storm Ellen.
The storm is set to hit Ireland tonight, then make it's way across the British Isles over the course of the next two days.
Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Paul Gunderson said: "Storm Ellen was a very lively storm for this time of year and although the main system has mostly dissipated, we'll continue to see strong winds across western parts of the UK today spreading to eastern areas tomorrow, with several yellow wind warnings in place.
"South-westerly winds will pick up once again through the Irish Sea this evening, with gusts of 55-65mph possible across western parts of Scotland and Wales, southwest England and eastern parts of Northern Ireland.
"Along with impacts from strong winds, we'll see bands of heavy rain and squally showers with the risk of thunder and lightning.
"During the early hours of Friday the wind will pick up more widely across much of England, Wales and southern Scotland, with gusts of 45-50mph inland and 55-60mph around coasts and over hills."
Storm Ellen follows extremely wet weather which left parts of Essex completely flooded last week.
Earlier on in the month, a heatwave brought the hottest temperatures Essex has seen all year.