When will Storm Babet reach Hartlepool and how long will it stay?

Schools have been closed and trains cancelled amid forecasts of 70mph winds and more than one month’s worth of rain on Thursday.

But will its predicted devastation – the Met Office has issued its first red weather alert in three years and warned of “danger to life from fast-flowing or deep flood water” – reach as far south as Hartlepool?

While Hartlepool is likely to be affected, it is unlikely to face the conditions experienced north of the border.

The Met Office, however, has issued a yellow weather warning for the town with persistent downpours expected from Thursday evening through to Saturday night.

It says “homes and businesses could be flooded, causing damage to some buildings”.

Rain is expected between around noon-5pm on Thursday before briefly easing until around 8pm.

The wet conditions are then expected to return until around 7pm on Saturday before dry weather returns for the remainder of the weekend and the start of next week.

Wind gusts are predicted to gradually rise during Thursday to around 30 miles per hour before increasing further overnight and peaking at around 55 miles per hour during Friday afternoon and evening.

These are forecast to ease back down to 30 miles per hour on Saturday before reducing further to around 18 miles per hour on Saturday.

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