Schools in the Burnham-On-Sea area will be closed on Friday due to the threat of severe weather from Storm Eunice.
The Met Office has issued a rare red weather warning for high winds gusting up to 90mph as Storm Eunice is forecast to sweep through the Burnham-On-Sea area on Friday (February 18th).
The Priory Learning Trust – which runs King Alfred School in Highbridge plus the local primary schools in the Huntspills and at Pawlett – has announced they will be closed on Friday, one day earlier than planend before the half-term holiday.
Neville Coles, CEO of The Priory Learning Trust, says: “The warning has highlighted that extremely strong winds are expected to develop over South West England early on Friday, before spreading North and East during the day.”
“Given this position and in line with local authority advice, we have made the decision to close all of our Academies on Friday. This means that all school buildings will be closed to students and staff. We apologise about the short notice but student and staff safety is always our priority and in the face of this very rare weather warning we are taking appropriate action.”
Wessex Learning Trust is also following suit, with a spokesman confirming: “Due to predicted adverse weather, all schools across the Wessex Learning Trust will be closed on Friday. Schools will be in touch with information about remote learning provision. Thank you for your understanding.”
The Met Office has warned that strong westerly winds will whip up storm waves and could create a tidal surge in the Bristol Channel. There will also be a threat of damage and flying debris.
Gusts of up to 90mph are forecast to peak in the Burnham-On-Sea area during the morning until mid-afternoon, with the high tides in Burnham-On-Sea set for 7.59am and 8.22pm.
A Met Office spokesman says: “Extremely strong west to southwesterly winds will develop over southwest England and south Wales early on Friday.”
”Widespread inland gusts of 70-80 mph are likely and up to around 90 mph near some coasts, with dangerous conditions on beaches and seafronts. Winds are expected to ease from the west during the late morning.”
The Environment Agency has also advised that there is an increased risk of coastal flooding, although it says the main area of concern is further north up the Severn Estuary where low-lying may flood.
Gary Bywater, Area Incident Duty Manager for the Environment Agency, says: “Strong winds from Storm Eunice could cause a storm surge and large waves, bringing a risk of flooding to homes and businesses along the Severn and Wye estuaries.”
“We’re seeking to give early warning to communities to prepare. We will issue flood warnings if necessary and we have teams out on the ground taking action to reduce the impact of any possible flooding.”
You can check your flood risk, sign up for free flood warnings and keep up to date with the latest situation here or call Floodline on 0345 988 1188 for the latest flood updates.
Burnham-On-Sea weather forecast
