Storm Agnes: Satellite image shows huge weather pattern moving across UK

Andy Wells
·Freelance Writer
Updated ·4 min read
Satellite imagery shows Storm Agnes approaching Ireland and the UK this week. (SWNS)
Satellite imagery shows Storm Agnes approaching Ireland and the UK this week. (SWNS)

Storm Agnes hit the UK on Wednesday and now astonishing satellite imagery gives an idea of the size of the first named storm of the season.

Agnes made landfall in western Ireland on Wednesday morning before strong winds and heavy rain hit the UK at around lunchtime.

A satellite image from NASA’s Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) shows Agnes enveloping the country, bringing with it wind speeds reaching 79mph.

While the worst of Agnes has passed, a heavy rain yellow weather warning has now been issued for parts of south Wales by the Met Office.

The yellow weather warning is in place between 8pm on Thursday and 2am on Friday.

LIVERPOOL, U NITED KINGDOM- SEPTEMBER 27: Storm clouds gather over Liverpool and the river Mersey as the winds of Storm Agnes approaches the UK on September 27, 2023 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
Storm clouds gather over Liverpool and the river Mersey as the winds of Storm Agnes approaches the UK. (Getty Images)
Aberystwyth Wales UK weather 28th September 2023 . Storm Agnes sweeps across Wales and the rest of the UK overnight, gale force winds reaching 80mph hit hard endangering life and property with big waves smashing the sea defences at high tide. Credit : mikedavies/Alamy Live News
Storm Agnes swept across Wales and the rest of the UK overnight, with gale force winds reaching 79mph. (Alamy)

Storm Agnes: Read more

Remnants of Agnes could bring 50mm of rainfall over a few hours to parts of south Wales as the storm works its way out to sea.

Difficult driving conditions could be experienced in the region as a result of flooding, while there is also a chance of delays to train and bus services.

Homes and businesses could also be flooded, causing damage to buildings.

Grahame Madge, a spokesperson for the Met Office, told the PA news agency: “There’s a couple of areas of low pressure, one to the far north west of the UK that will bring some quite lively rainfall to parts of Scotland.

“And another one out south west, which could well trigger concerns about the impacts of heavy rain in parts of south Wales.”

FALMOUTH, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 27: Large waves reach the shoreline near Pendennis Castle at Gylllyngvase Beach on September 27, 2023 in Falmouth, Cornwall, England. (Photo by Hugh R Hastings/Getty Images)
Large waves reach the shoreline near Pendennis Castle at Gylllyngvase Beach in Cornwall as Storm Agnes hit the UK. (Getty)

Agnes hit the UK on Wednesday with gale force winds causing flight cancellations, flooding and power outages.

The first named storm of the season drummed up a high of 79mph winds in Capel Curig, a village in Wales, on Wednesday evening.

Elsewhere, winds were recorded reaching speeds of 68mph in Aberdaron, Wales, 58mph in Glenanne, Northern Ireland, and 54mph in Camborne, Cornwall.

Travel chaos

The extreme weather brought travel chaos with it, with 11 domestic flights and several P&O Ferries services cancelled between Northern Ireland and Scotland, according to The Independent.

A woman had to be rescued from her car in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, after it was trapped by floodwater, while an easyJet plane was unable to land in Belfast on Wednesday afternoon due to “winds gusting outside the limits of the aircraft”.

Around 135 properties on the Isles of Scilly, in the south-west of England, experienced power outages for just under four hours earlier on Wednesday, according to National Grid.

Aberystwyth Wales UK weather 28th September 2023 . Storm Agnes sweeps across Wales and the rest of the UK overnight, gale force winds reaching 80mph hit hard endangering life and property with big waves smashing the sea defences at high tide. Credit : mikedavies/Alamy Live News
Storm Agnes saw crashing waves hit the coast of Wales on Wednesday. (PA)

Why do the Met Office name storms?

The Met Office compiles a list of names for storms every year, with Agnes being the first of 21 recently announced for the upcoming season, running from September this year until August 2024.

Listed alphabetically, Agnes will be followed by ‘Babet’ when the next storm appears.

The full list is:

  • Agnes

  • Babet

  • Ciarán

  • Debi

  • Elin

  • Fergus

  • Gerrit

  • Henk

  • Isha

  • Jocelyn

  • Kathleen

  • Lilian

  • Minnie

  • Nicholas

  • Olga

  • Piet

  • Regina

  • Stuart

  • Tamiko

  • Vincent

  • Walid

The Met Office has compiled a list of storm names every year since 2015 as a way to raise awareness of this type of severe weather, and to easily identify them for communicating about potential dangers.

Members of the public can suggest names to the Met Office for consideration in future lists.

Storms are named if they are likely to result in amber or red weather warnings.