Storm Austen is bringing strong winds into focus, making it a good time to take a closer look at the wind information available in the Met Office app.
From the maximum gust shown in your next hour summary to hour-by-hour wind speeds and more detailed gust information, knowing where to look can help you build a clearer picture of what to expect.
Here’s how to find the information you need.
What does the wind figure on the homepage show?
The next hour summary on the app homepage shows the maximum wind gust expected for the next hour.
This gives you an at-a-glance indication of the strongest gust forecast for your selected location. However, it doesn’t mean winds will remain at that speed throughout the day.
Gusts are brief increases in wind speed and can be considerably stronger than the more sustained wind between them. That distinction can become particularly important during periods of strong or potentially disruptive winds.
How can I see the hourly wind speed?
For more detail about how conditions are expected to change, scroll down to the daily forecast table.
Here you can see the forecast wind speed (not wind gust) for each hour, alongside the other hourly weather information. This represents the instantaneous wind speed at each hour. Looking through the hours can give you a better idea of when the general wind speed is expected to strengthen or ease.
Where can I find the wind gust forecast?
If you want to know more than the hourly wind speed, select the wind card within the forecast. This opens more detailed hourly wind speed, direction and gusts for the next seven days. When ‘today’ is selected information for the next hour will be shown. If any other day is selected, the daily maximum will be displayed.
Looking at both wind speed and gusts gives you a fuller and more informed picture of the conditions expected. The sustained wind provides an indication of the general wind conditions, while the gust forecast shows how strong those shorter bursts could become.
Why are gusts important?
During windy weather, it can be the strongest gusts that are particularly important when considering potential impacts.
For Storm Austen, the latest Met Office information highlights the potential for strong gusts and associated impacts including disruption to travel, power supplies and other utilities, as well as possible damage and dangerous coastal conditions. Those trees which are still in more or less full leaf are vulnerable to strong winds and may present a considerable additional hazard. So, when windy weather is on the way, don’t rely on a single number. Check the next hour maximum gust, explore the hourly forecast and open the wind card for more detail.
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Keep up to date with weather warnings, and you can find the latest forecast on our website, on YouTube, by following us on X and Facebook, as well as on our mobile app which is available for iPhone from the App store and for Android from the Google Play store.
