National Highways in collaboration with The Met Office have issued a severe weather alert for strong winds covering the whole of National Highways strategic road network between the hours of 06:00 and 18:00 on Friday 18th February 2022.
Storm Eunice will track east-northeast across northern England on Friday, bringing a spell of exceptionally strong winds on its southern flank (central and southern England). These winds will increase quickly from the west on Friday morning, gusting 60-70mph widely and 70-80mph along coastal areas and over bridges but possibly over a few inland locations too. Around the Bristol Channel peak gusts could touch 90 mph (Avonmouth and Severn Bridges). These unusually strong winds are highly likely to cause disruption across the network with wind-blown debris, potential damage to infrastructure including power failures and make for tricky driving conditions for vulnerable vehicles.
Ahead of the storm snow is expected to fall on routes above 200 m from Lancashire and Yorkshire northwards (and the southern Pennines with 1-3 cm slushy deposits and perhaps 10-15 cm over the A66). Though this isn’t enough to warrant a HE Alert in it’s own right, 60-70 mph gusts will develop across much of the North West and North East early afternoon with disruption possible here also.
The wind is expected to decrease from the southwest from early afternoon (as they are increasing north of the Midlands) and then slowly from the west across all regions by late afternoon – though staying very strong through the night which may hamper clear up work.
There is a particularly high risk that high-sided vehicles and other ‘vulnerable’ vehicles such as caravans and motorbikes could be blown over and should not travel on the following sections of roads:
East of England
A14 Orwell Bridge – near Ipswich
A282 QE2 Bridge / Dartford Bridge
South East
M27 J8-J9 Hedge End to Locks Heath
A27 Shoreham Flyover – near to Hove / Brighton
A2 Jubilee Way close to Dover
M2 J2-J3 Medway Viaduct
A249 Kings Ferry / Sheppey Crossing
A282 QE2 Bridge / Dartford Bridge
South West
A30 / A38 Bodmin
M4 J22-J23 Severn Crossing
M48 J1-J2 Severn Crossing
M49 M4 J22 (at Severn crossing) to M5 J18 (at Avonmouth)
M5 J13-J15 Stroud to M4
M5 J18-J19 Avonmouth Bridge
M5 J20-J23 Clevedon to Bridgwater
A35 Long Bredy duals
A38 – Tamar Bridge Plymouth to Saltash
Midlands
East Midlands
M1 J22-J23 Leicester North to Loughborough
West Midlands
M50 J1-J2 Queenhill, Tewkesbury to Ledbury
M5 J1-J2 West Bromwich to Dudley
M5 J4-J5 Kidderminster to Redditch
M5 J7-J8 Worcester to J8 – M50; Strensham Services
M6 J6-J8 Spaghetti Junction to Friar Park (M5)
M6 J15-J16 Keele Services; immediately south of J16 – Audley
North East
M1 J32 M18 Interchange
M1 J34 Tinsley Viaduct/Rotherham
M1 J39-J40 Crigglestone to Desbury
A628 Woodhead Pass
M62 J23-J25 Huddersfield to Brighouse
M62 J31-J32 Normanton to Pontefract
M62 J35a-J36 Rawcliffe Bridge, M18 Interchange to J36 Goole
M62 J36-J37 River Ouse/Ouse Bridge
A1M J47-J49 Between A59 Knaresborough and A168 Dishforth
A1M J58-J65 Between A1 and Washington at J65
A66 Between A1 (Scotch Corner) to M6 J40
A19 Hylton Bridge over River Wear
A19 Tees Viaduct
A69 Between A1 to M6
A15 Humber Bridge
North West
M53 J1-J2
M56 J12 Runcorn to Sutton Weaver
M58 J1 Kirkby
M6 J20-J21 Thelwall Viaduct
M6 J26-J27 M58 to Standish
M6 J36-J45 Through Cumbria
M60 J10-J12 Barton Bridge to M62
M60 J16-J17 Pendlebury and Kersley to Prestwich and Whitefield
M62 J18-J27 Between Manchester and Leeds
M61 J4-J5 J5 Westhoughton
M61 J9/M65 J1 Interchange
A56 Between M64 and A680 at Edenfield
M65 J3-J4 Withnell and Blackburn Interchange
A66 Between M6 J40 and A1 (Scotch Corner)
A69 Between M6 to A1
If you’re intending on travelling on any of the above routes during Friday, please plan ahead and check your route before setting off. Road users should heed messages on the overhead signs and listen for radio updates.
