Storm Austen, the first named storm of the season, is bringing strong winds and heavy rain to Worcestershire today. Worcester News reports that the Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for the county, with strong winds and possible gales. Severn Trent is urging people across the region to prepare for gusts of up to 70 mph and heavy downpours, with the risk of flooding highest in parts of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire.
The BBC says a second storm, Boelo, has been named and is set to bring another round of stormy weather over the weekend. So this is a few rough days rather than one bad night. Here is what the forecast shows for Worcester, what it means for lawns, hedges and grounds, and how to put things right safely once it has passed.
What the forecast shows
- Today: 6.2 mm of rain and gusts of up to 40 mph.
- Saturday: the wettest day, with 11.2 mm of rain and gusts of up to 44 mph.
- Sunday: mostly dry with 1.2 mm of rain, but still gusty at up to 41 mph.
- Monday and Tuesday: milder, around 16°C, with some showers and gusts still around 40 mph.
- Wednesday and Thursday: dry, with lighter winds of up to 25 mph.
The past seven days have already brought 39.4 mm of rain, so the ground is soft before the storm even starts. The clocks go back on Sunday 25 October as well, and the light goes earlier in the afternoon from then on.
During the storm: stay safe
The best grounds job in a storm is no job at all. Keep out from under trees in strong wind, and stay well away from branches that are cracked or hanging. Leave mowing, hedge trimming and strimming until the wind has dropped and the ground has firmed up.
The English Garden suggests getting out ahead of the storm to secure anything that could blow about, because strong winds can send parasols flying, smash pots and topple plants. Garden furniture, bins and loose covers are worth tying down or moving somewhere sheltered.
If you look after a school, care home, church or business site, a quick walk round before the weekend helps. Check that gates are shut and secure, and that anything stored outside is tied down or put away.
After the storm: lawns and wet ground
Once the wind drops, give the lawn time. Keep off waterlogged grass, because walking on it compacts the soil and damages the roots. Do not mow wet grass either: wet blades tear rather than cut, clippings clump, and mowers churn soft ground.
The soil is still warm for late October, around 10°C at 6 cm down today, which is above the 6 to 8°C where grass growth slows almost to a stop. That means the grass keeps growing through the wet spell. Wednesday and Thursday look like the first dry days, and once the surface has firmed up, a cut on a higher setting will tidy things up. If the grass has got long, take no more than a third of its height off in one cut and bring it down over two or three cuts a few days apart.
Leaves brought down by the wind are the other job. Left lying on a lawn, they block the light and hold moisture, and after a week or two the grass underneath turns yellow and weak. Fusarium patch, a lawn disease, is worse in mild, damp weather where leaves or long wet grass lie on the lawn, and the coming week looks both mild and damp. Rake or blow a heavy fall off first, then a mower with the collector on will pick up and chop what is left.
Hedges, trees and boundaries
Walk your hedges and boundaries once it is calm. Look for snapped branches, new gaps and anything leaning over a path, a drive or a road. A tree that has been damaged in a storm should be looked at by a qualified tree surgeon, so leave big limbs and split trunks to them.
Pick a calm, dry day for any hedge trim: the finish is cleaner and the clippings are easier to clear. Before cutting, check for nests that are still in use, because the law protects an active wild bird nest all year round. Check hedge bottoms and leaf piles for hedgehogs as well, as they hibernate from about November and often shelter in exactly those places.
On school, care home, church and business grounds, wet leaves and fallen twigs on paths, steps and car parks are slippery, so clearing them regularly after the storm is part of keeping the site safe. Keep off any flooded ground, because floodwater can carry contamination. Once the water has gone, clear the debris and let the ground firm up before any work on it. The Environment Agency issues flood alerts and flood warnings in England, and they are worth checking before working on low ground near a river or brook.
Need a hand once it has blown through?
We cut lawns on a one-off or regular schedule, from gardens to communal lawns and large open sites. We trim hedges, from front gardens to long boundary runs, with the clippings taken away, and we strim banks, edges and rough ground.
For commercial sites, apartment blocks, churchyards and parish councils, we offer grounds maintenance contracts with regular scheduled visits.
WhatsApp Tom a photo and your postcode on 07792 110915 and Tom will come back with a price.
Where this comes from
- Yellow weather warning issued for Worcestershire ahead of Storm Austen, Worcester News
- Severn Trent urges residents to prepare for Storm Austen and 70mph gusts, Worcester News
- Two storms in two days as Austen and Boelo target UK, BBC Science and Environment
- Is your garden ready? 7 urgent garden jobs to do now before storm Austin sweeps across the UK, The English Garden
