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Guides/Weather

Storms and
high wind

A named storm gives you a day or two of notice and the Met Office tells you how bad in three colours. Yellow: be aware. Amber: be prepared, change your plans. Red: danger to life, stay in. The bag matters for the hours after, when the power is off and the roads are blocked.

5 min readChecked against Met Office and gov.uk guidanceUpdated November 2026Print this guide
Beforethe warning

The afternoon before

  1. Read the warning itself, not the headline. The Met Office map shows the area and the hours; the text says whether it's wind, rain or both, and what to expect: power cuts, travel disruption, flying debris.
  2. Bring in or tie down anything that can fly: bins, trampolines, garden furniture, the ladder. Park the car away from trees and walls. Close and lock windows and doors.
  3. Charge everything, including the power bank in the lid, and fill the car with fuel while the pumps still work. Draw some cash.
  4. Check on anyone nearby who lives alone, and agree who will check in on whom. Move the Operators to the hall and the Unit to the car.
Duringthe storm

Stay in, stay away from glass

  1. If the warning is red, stay in and keep the family away from windows. Use the inner rooms and the stairs; sleep downstairs if the roof is old.
  2. Do not go out to check on the roof, the fence or the car. Flying tiles and falling branches kill people who went to look.
  3. If the power goes, follow the power-cut guide: torch on, 105, fridge shut, one warm room. Keep the radio on for the local station.
  4. If you must travel, don't use exposed roads, bridges or the coast. Fallen power lines are live: stay well back and call 105.

Never

Never shelter under a tree or next to a wall in high wind, and never drive through standing water to get home faster. The storm is finite; the decision to wait it out is the one you won't regret.

Afterthe all-clear

Carefully

  1. Wait for the warning to end before you go out. Look up before you look down: loose tiles, hanging branches and damaged lines are the danger now.
  2. Photograph any damage before you touch it, and call the insurer. Do not climb on a roof; that is what the insurer's contractor is for.
  3. Check on neighbours, then help clear the street only where it is safe. Report fallen lines to 105 and blocked roads to the council.
  4. Refill what you used: the power bank, the comfort pack, the cash. Tell us what you wished you'd had.

Sources, checked November 2026