Storm Gerrit: Two weather warnings for Oldham today

It comes as Storm Gerrit was named by the Met Office on Boxing Day, with the country set to be battered by strong winds and heavy rain.

Two warnings in effect for rain and wind

Today, Wednesday, two weather warnings are in force for rain and wind.

The yellow warning for rain, which was announced on Christmas Eve (Sunday) is now set to last until 6pm.

The weather agency says those in the warning area, which includes all of Oldham borough and most of Greater Manchester, should expect a slight chance of power cuts, flooding, and road closures.

Numerous warnings are in place across the country (Image: Met Office/OpenStreetMap)

Sign up to our newsletters to get the latest stories sent straight to your inbox.

New wind warning: ‘chance of injuries’

The new yellow warning for rain, issued just after 9am this morning, comes in to force at 6pm and remains in effect until 3am tomorrow (Thursday, December 28).

The warning is in effect for the entirety of Greater Manchester, and stretches north of Barrow-in-Furness along the west coast to as far south as Swansea, in Wales.

Forecasters warn of a slight chance of damage to buildings, delays to transport, and short term loss of power.

The Met Office has also warned there is a small chance of injuries due to the winds.

Hour-by-hour forecast

According to the Met Office forecast, Oldham is set to see wind gusts of up to 45mph today, with much of the day spent in rainy conditions. Temperatures will peak at 11°C in the afternoon, falling to 7°C overnight.

10am: Heavy rain, 80 per cent chance of precipitation. Temperature: 9°C, wind 21mph, gusts of 39mph.

11am: Cloudy, 20 per cent chance of precipitation. Temperature: 10°C, wind 22mph, gusts of 40mph.

12 noon: Cloudy, 20 per cent chance of precipitation. Temperature: 11°C, wind 24mph, gusts of 42mph.

1pm: Light rain, 60 per cent chance of precipitation. Temperature: 11°C, wind 26mph, gusts of 45mph.

2pm: Heavy rain, 90 per cent chance of precipitation. Temperature: 11°C, wind 24mph, gusts of 41mph.

3pm: Heavy rain, 90 per cent chance of precipitation. Temperature: 11°C, wind 21mph, gusts of 37mph.

4pm: Heavy rain, 90 per cent chance of precipitation. Temperature: 10°C, wind 21mph, gusts of 37mph.

5pm: Light shower, 40 per cent chance of precipitation. Temperature: 8°C, wind 19mph, gusts of 34mph.

6pm: Light shower, 30 per cent chance of precipitation. Temperature: 7°C, wind 18mph, gusts of 32mph.

7pm: Cloudy, 10 per cent chance of precipitation. Temperature: 7°C, wind 16mph, gusts of 29mph.

8pm: Light shower, 40 per cent chance of precipitation. Temperature: 6°C, wind 19mph, gusts of 34mph.

9pm: Light shower, 40 per cent chance of precipitation. Temperature: 6°C, wind 18mph, gusts of 33mph.

10pm: Light shower, 40 per cent chance of precipitation. Temperature: 7°C, wind 20mph, gusts of 36mph.

11pm: Heavy shower, 60 per cent chance of precipitation. Temperature: 7°C, wind 25mph, gusts of 45mph.

12 midnight: Heavy shower, 60 per cent chance of precipitation. Temperature: 7°C, wind 22mph, gusts of 41mph.

1am: Light shower, 40 per cent chance of precipitation. Temperature: 7°C, wind 24mph, gusts of 44mph.

2am: Light shower, 30 per cent chance of precipitation. Temperature: 7°C, wind 23mph, gusts of 42mph.

3am: Cloudy, 10 per cent chance of precipitation. Temperature: 7°C, wind 22mph, gusts of 40mph.

Follow The Oldham Times on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, and Threads.

Chief Meteorologist weighs in

On Boxing Day, Met Office Chief Meteorologist Frank Saunders said: “Storm Gerrit will run towards western UK on Wednesday and bring with it potential impacts for much of the UK.

“Winds across southern coastal areas of England will be strong, possibly peaking around 70 mph on exposed coastlines, but more widely around 50-60 mph within the warning area.

“Rain is an additional hazard from Storm Gerrit, with active weather fronts leading to a wet day for many.

“Snow is also likely to cause problems for some northern areas: only briefly for a few upland routes across the Pennines and southern Scotland overnight and early on Wednesday, but more widely to the north of the Central Lowlands later in the day.

“Here around 10 to possibly 20cm of snow may affect some of the highest routes, this combining with very strong winds to lead to some difficult travel conditions. At lower levels a combination of heavy rain and very strong winds will dominate.”

If you have a story, I cover the whole borough of Oldham. Please get in touch at jack.fifield@newsquest.co.uk or click to send me a message on WhatsApp or on Signal on 07517566383.