Storm Pia: I was battered by flying sand in gale force winds and saw a woman get blown over

I'd felt the car shake as I drove to Fleetwood, and watched as traffic lights wobbled in the wind.

Living near the coast, I'm used to gusty weather and I walk on the beach all year round...

But I wasn't quite prepared for how severe the gale force winds would feel, as I parked up on the Esplanade.

I walked around 30 yards - from the car to the cafe, where I was meeting a contact - when I got inside I was DRENCHED!

I attempted to protect my glasses with a scarf, feeling a combination of hailstones and sharp sand pelting my face as I walked through the car park of the leisure centre.

I steadied myself as I approached the steps. When I got inside, I looked down and my clothes were coated in sand - despite being quite far away from the beach.

And then, when I sat down and dried off my glasses, the person I was there to meet exclaimed 'oh god, a woman's just been blown over!'

Two people ran to this person's aid, and helped her up. As I left the cafe a while later, I cautiously made my way back to the car and watched as sand drifted across the concrete.

When is Storm Pia likely to be at it's worse?

The strongest winds are expected to occur at around 1pm, with peak gusts of up to 45mph around Preston and 56mph along the coast in Blackpool.

Forecasters are also urging people on the coast to be aware of large and potentially life-threatening waves.

The winds will slowly ease through the day, with the Met Office bringing its weather warning end time forward as gusts drop to around 47mph by 5pm.

Gusts will continue to ease into the evening, with lows of around 41mph by 9pm.

The yellow wind warning covers the whole of Lancashire and will remain in force until 3pm.