Storm Dudley live updates: Leeds rail service disruption as Met Office amber warning for strong winds remains in place

The Met Office has shared this visual update of the storm’s progress.

The Elland Road NHS vaccination centre is going to be closed tomorrow and on Friday due to the weather warnings in place. They’re contacting people who were booked in for jabs and will help them to rearrange their appointments.

Today’s appointments are still taking place but they’re being done in Billy's Bar at the Elland Road stadium itself. Staff are redirecting people as they arrive.

National Highways is urging drivers to take care on the region’s roads as winds pick up this afternoon.

It says of particular concern are the Humber Bridge, where westerly winds are expected to be in excess of 60mph overnight and into Thursday morning.

It’s also shared concerns about roads around Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle and Middlesbrough which are all expected to see gusts over 60mph.

The M6 and A1 are also likely to suffer from considerable cross wind.

Winds are expected to gradually moderate through the course of Thursday.

It says there is a particularly high risk that high-sided vehicles and other 'vulnerable' vehicles such as caravans and motorbikes could be blown over onL

Gusts of 66mph have been recorded at Emley Moor in West Yorkshire this morning, with potential for even stronger winds this afternoon.

A Met Office amber warning for the region is expected to last from 2pm to midnight.

Heavy showers are expected throughout the afternoon, with snow on high ground in some parts of the North.

Tomorrow is expected to offer some respite for most, but Storm Eunice is predicted to be even more challenging for many when it lands on Friday.

Another amber warning has been issued, with the potential for stronger winds, and predictions that gusts could top 90mph in the South West and South Wales.

Met Office spokeswoman Nicola Maxey said: “We are looking at particularly stormy period right now, with two named storms coming through one after the other.

“This sort of weather set-up is typical for the UK in the winter, with low pressure coming in from the west, driven by the jet stream.”

She said the forecast after Storm Eunice continued to look unsettled with the potential for more wet and windy conditions over the weekend and the start of next week.

With power cuts likely in some areas today, Northern Powergrid has pledged to apply lessons learned from Storm Arwen in relation to keeping customers updated.

It has, however, warned that in the early stages of outages they will be unable to give precise estimates of restoration until damage has been properly accessed.

We’ve already seen disruption to Leeds rail services this morning due to damage to overhead cables, with Northern reporting cancellations and route changes.

Passengers are being advised to check for the latest service updates before setting off.

Forecasters are warning of potential risk to life as Storm Dudley hits Leeds and other parts of the UK, with a second storm predicted to follow.

There is the potential for inland wind gusts of 60-70 mph in places. Gusts of 80-90 mph are possible around exposed coasts.