The Met Office has issued a Storm Isha warning to Britons telling them to find shelter away from their windows as the country is facing an onslaught of wind and rain.
The agency – which named the storm on Saturday – has blanketed the country with yellow and amber alerts telling millions of people to take care as Isha stirs 90mph winds.
Forecasters believe the conditions will primarily lead to significant travel disruption, including on the roads, rail, and in the air.
But they could also endanger lives, especially in coastal and “exposed” areas, where winds are expected to reach speeds of between 70mph and 90mph.
Britons living in these areas have been told to minimise their chances of injury as the severe weather persists by staying away from their windows.
The Met Office counselled worried members of the public this afternoon on X, formerly known as Twitter, who had written to the agency over their Isha-related fears.
Responding to one X user, the agency said the “safest place” for Britons to shelter from the storm would be any part of their home away from windows and chimneys.
The agency tweeted: “The safest place, or where you can minimise the risks of injury in your home, would be anywhere away from glass, such as windows and also rooms where there is no chimney stack above.”
Windows are prone to smashing during extreme winds, as Channel Island residents discovered in late 2023.
Storm Ciaran’s landfall in November last year was particularly powerful in Jersey, where a baby monitor set up by mum Jessica O’Reilly captured the moment a window shattered above her child’s crib early one morning.
Footage shared by the mum showed 103mph hurricane-force winds buffeting her home in St Clement, from where dozens of people were forced to evacuate due to the severe weather.
The baby monitor captured the quick-thinking mum as she scooped up her child and rushed to safety, with the bedroom curtains violently blowing in the background.
The risk of injury from Storm Isha remains through much of this week, with Met Office warnings in place until Wednesday, January 24.
Even four days after the storm has made landfall, wind speeds will remain significant enough to cause damage to buildings and widespread travel disruption.
The possibility of further injuries and general danger to life remains until 12pm that Wednesday.
