Weather warnings have been issued across the UK as the country's first officially named storm, Abigail, heads for Britain's shores.
Storm Abigail is expected to hit Britain on Thursday (12 November), with the Met Office saying that the weather system could bring with it 80mph winds, heavy rain, large waves and the potential of flooding. It added that transport networks across the north of England and across Scotland could be at risk of disruption.
It is a reminder for businesses to ensure their business insurance policies include cover for damage to their premises by extreme weather. Furthermore, business interruption cover, obtained as part of their policy, can provide financial reimbursements should a business be forced to close its doors to customers for an extended period of time, perhaps because of flood damage.
Storm Abigail is a landmark in UK forecasting, as it is the first time that a severe weather system has been given a name under the Met Office’s new 'Name Our Storms' project. As part of the project, storms throughout autumn and winter 2015/16 will be named based on a list from A-Z chosen by members of the public.
Eddy Carroll, the Met Office’s chief meteorologist, said of the looming storm: "There remains some uncertainty regarding the exact extent and timing of strongest winds but current forecasts suggest that this storm could have some medium impacts such as disruption to transport and so a warning has been issued and the first storm has been named as Abigail."
