Britain braced itself for a turbulent start to the week as fierce winds, torrential rain, and widespread travel disruptions swept across the country on Monday, September 15, 2025. The Met Office issued a wind warning that blanketed most of the UK, cautioning citizens about strong gusts, potential power outages, and the risk of hazardous travel. As the day unfolded, communities from Greater Manchester to the Isle of Wight found themselves at the mercy of relentless weather, with forecasters warning that the unsettled conditions were far from over.
The Met Office’s yellow wind warning, in effect from 8pm on Sunday, September 14, to 6pm Monday, September 15, covered vast swathes of the nation—including the East Midlands, East of England, London and the South East, North East England, North West England, South West England, Wales, West Midlands, and Yorkshire. According to the Manchester Evening News, the summary was stark: “Strong and gusty winds are likely to cause some disruption to travel and interruptions to power.” The detail left little doubt about the seriousness: “Gusts of 45-55 mph are expected widely inland, with gusts of 60-70 mph possible at times along exposed coasts and hills. Winds will only slowly ease from the west later in the afternoon and into Monday evening.”
The impact was immediate and widespread. In Greater Manchester, wind gusts were forecast to peak at an eye-watering 48mph around 5pm, with the chance of precipitation soaring above 95% for most of the day. Temperatures hovered around 14°C, but the biting wind made it feel closer to 10°C. The hour-by-hour forecast painted a grim picture: relentless rain, gusts rarely dipping below 46mph, and little respite as the evening wore on. By 2am Tuesday, winds were expected to ease only slightly, dropping to about 40mph.
Elsewhere, the situation was even more dramatic. On Sunday night, the Isle of Wight recorded a staggering 78mph gust, while other coastal and exposed regions saw similarly severe conditions. The Sun reported that strong winds of up to 70mph struck large parts of England and Wales, forcing parks and zoos—including Kew Gardens, Whipsnade Zoo, and Dartmoor Zoo—to close their doors. Kew Gardens announced on social media: “We will be closing early at 1pm, with last entry at 12pm today, Monday September 15, due to the severe weather. Ticketing providers will be in touch with more information. We're sorry for any inconvenience caused.”
It wasn’t just leisure venues feeling the brunt. The M48 Severn Bridge in South Gloucestershire was shut in both directions between its first and second junctions, while the Humber Bridge in Yorkshire closed to high-sided and vulnerable vehicles. The A628 Woodhead Pass in Derbyshire and Yorkshire was also closed to such vehicles. According to National Highways, these closures were necessary as the “gales have forced” authorities to act to ensure public safety. The Met Office urged everyone to plan routes in advance, check for delays, and exercise caution—especially near cliffs, where “large breaking waves can sweep you off your feet and out to sea.”
Travelers faced headaches across the board. Delays and disruptions hit trains, planes, buses, and cars, with the Met Office specifically warning lorries and high-sided vehicles to be extra vigilant on exposed routes and bridges. The National Grid reported that around 150 properties near Chagford, Devon, lost power due to the weather. Even the festival circuit wasn’t spared: two stages at the Little Orchard Cider and Music Festival in Cornwall were forced to close on Sunday.
Hampstead Heath in London closed its Ladies’, Men’s, and Mixed bathing ponds due to high winds, though the Lido remained open for the brave. The message from authorities was clear: safety first, with the weather likely to remain a major inconvenience for days to come.
Looking ahead, the forecast offered little comfort. The UK’s weather maps, as reported by the Daily Mirror, suggested that after the blustery start, temperatures would nosedive—possibly bringing the first snow of the season to parts of Scotland by Sunday, September 21. Maps from WXCharts indicated snow falling in central Scotland on Sunday morning, with temperatures predicted to drop to 0°C in some areas. Northern England and southern regions could expect rain, while the rest of the country would see single-digit temperatures throughout the day. BBC weather forecaster Louis Lear explained, “The unsettled theme stays with us because of the position of the jet stream. We’ve got this significant kink in the jet stream and actually we are going to see the jet stream cut off and this circle here produces what is known as a cut off low pressure. Now we were thinking that high pressure was going to build and quieten things down but now it looks like that cut off low is going to stay with us across central and southern England, and if that happens then it is going to remain pretty unsettled.”
The Met Office’s extended forecast for September 20 to 29 echoed this sentiment, noting, “The broadly unsettled conditions look to continue during the first part of this period. All areas are likely to see some further spells of wet and at times windy weather, interspersed with brighter, showery interludes. By the start of the following week, a ridge of high pressure may extend eastwards towards the UK, bringing an increasing chance of longer periods of drier weather to northern areas initially, whilst low pressure remains closer to the south or southeast. Towards the end of this period, high pressure may be rather more dominant across the UK. A cooler interlude is likely for a time through next week, with chilly nights and fog patches likely under the influence of high pressure. Temperatures probably return closer to average by late September.”
For now, though, the nation remained firmly in the grip of stormy weather. Monday’s chaos followed a period of thunderstorms and heavy rain that had prompted a 15-hour yellow weather warning the previous week. After Monday, a brief ridge of high pressure promised a short-lived spell of settled weather on Tuesday, September 16. But, as the week wore on, yet another low pressure system was likely to sweep in by Wednesday, September 17, bringing renewed wind and rain.
With the first named storm of the season—Storm Amy—already confirmed by the Met Office (though this week’s winds hadn’t earned a name), many wondered what the rest of September might hold. If the past few days were any indication, Brits would be wise to keep their umbrellas and raincoats at the ready—and perhaps check the power torch batteries, just in case.
As the weather continues to throw curveballs, communities across the UK are reminded of the unpredictability of the British climate. For now, the only certainty is that the wind, rain, and cold are here to stay—at least for a little while longer.
