Kent is set to be battered by very strong winds over the next 24 hours as Storm Éowyn touches down in the UK. Three separate Met Office yellow weather warnings for strong had been issued across Kent on Thursday, January 23 and Friday, January 24.
The first came into effect at 7am on Thursday morning. having originally been issued for our east coast but was then expanded to cover the entire county. It remained in place until 5pm with Met Office forecasters advising that gusts of between 50mph and 60mph could be felt during this time.
Coastal regions and exposed areas have been hit the hardest, particularly Dover and Folkestone here in Kent. At midnight, a new yellow weather warning came into effect, covering mainly the eastern Kent coast and staying in place for the entirety of Friday.
Another yellow wind warning began 5am this morning, spanning the remainder of Kent and operating until 3pm. The strongest gales are forecast at around 9am, reaching nearly 60mph along the Kent coast.
Again, Dover and Folkestone, as well as Thanet and Whitstable, will feel the see the worst of it as gusts range between 52mph and 58mph across the morning. Blustery conditions are expected inland as well, with the likes of Canterbury, Maidstone and Ashford all set to see maximum gusts of 50mph and over in the morning.
Winds will begin to ease as the day progresses, reducing to around 30mph inland and 40mph around the coast. This will be accompanied by persistent rain showers throughout the day which could turn heavy at times, though will begin to ease from the afternoon into the evening.
Tactical Lead at the Kent and Medway Resilience Forum (KMRF) Andy Jeffery said: "As we routinely do, the Kent and Medway Resilience Forum is taking guidance from the Met Office and working together to ensure everyone is prepared as they can be. Many partners, including Kent County Council and UK Power Networks, have extra staff available during this period to respond quickly to any issues.
"Environment Agency teams have also been out clearing trash screens to help ensure rivers can flow and reduce any flood risk. In turn, we ask that residents keep up to date with the forecast and travel advice and help the emergency services by not risking their life and others for that extreme-weather selfie."
Advice includes staying away from seafronts and power cables, reporting fallen trees and damaged power lines, as well as checking if you qualify for free extra help from UK Power Networks in the event of a power failure. The effects of the storm are expected to ease into the afternoon and overnight, though showers will pick back up again on Sunday.
Due to another area of low pressure arriving from the morning, bringing more wet weather for the rest of the weekend and start of the new week, which could turn heavy at times. This has sparked a new yellow weather warning for rain that covers much of west Kent.
Kent hour-by-hour wind forecast for Friday, January 24
Below, KentLive has put together the full hour-by-hour wind forecasts for areas across the county that will be hit the hardest Folkestone, Dover, Maidstone, Ashford and Tunbridge Wells. These have been created using data from the Met Office looking at the maximum wind gust speed each hour.
Ashford
8am: 54mph
9am: 52mph
10am: 41mph
11am: 35mph
12pm: 32mph
1pm: 31mph
2pm: 29mph
3pm: 26mph
4pm: 24mph
5pm: 23mph
6pm: 21mph
7pm: 20mph
8pm: 20mph
9pm: 19mph
10pm: 18mph
11pm: 17mph
Canterbury
8am: 53mph
9am: 51mph
10am: 43mph
11am: 35mph
12pm: 33mph
1pm: 30mph
2pm: 29mph
3pm: 27mph
4pm: 26mph
5pm: 23mph
6pm: 22mph
7pm: 21mph
8pm: 20mph
9pm: 20mph
10pm: 19mph
11pm: 17mph
Dover
8am: 59mph
9am: 59mph
10am: 55mph
11am: 40mph
12pm: 34mph
1pm: 33mph
2pm: 32mph
3pm: 30mph
4pm: 29mph
5pm: 26mph
6pm: 25mph
7pm: 23mph
8pm: 22mph
9pm: 21mph
10pm: 20mph
11pm: 20mph
Folkestone
8am: 59mph
9am: 58mph
10am: 53mph
11am: 39mph
12pm: 33mph
1pm: 31mph
2pm: 31mph
3pm: 30mph
4pm: 28mph
5pm: 26mph
6pm: 24mph
7pm: 23mph
8pm: 22mph
9pm: 21mph
10pm: 20mph
11pm: 20mph
Margate
8am: 55mph
9am: 54mph
10am: 47mph
11am: 37mph
12pm: 34mph
1pm: 32mph
2pm: 31mph
3pm: 29mph
4pm: 29mph
5pm: 27mph
6pm: 25mph
7pm: 25mph
8pm: 25mph
9pm: 23mph
10pm: 21mph
11pm: 19mph
Tunbridge Wells
8am: 52mph
9am: 47mph
10am: 36mph
11am: 34mph
12pm: 32mph
1pm: 31mph
2pm: 28mph
3pm: 26mph
4pm: 24mph
5pm: 20mph
6pm: 19mph
7pm: 18mph
8pm: 17mph
9pm: 16mph
10pm: 16mph
11pm: 14mph