Floods force residents to flee homes as Storm Antoni lashes UK …
People have been evacuated from homes as a huge low pressure – a named storm in the UK by the Met Office[1] – has sent monster 65mph winds[2] battering Britain.
More than 64mm of rain has fallen today in parts of Yorkshire today as Storm Antoni[3] has hit the UK. Cars are submerged in Whitby, North Yorkshire, where residents say “you could swim” down steep hills.
The weather is also likely to damage buildings, blowing tiles from roofs and causing delays on roads, railways and at bridges. Met Office upgraded yellow weather warnings regarding the first named storm of the year to more severe amber ones[4] for parts of Devon, Dorset and Somerset in England, and Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Swansea in Wales.
It is wet and windy elsewhere today too, as forecasters predicted. Weather warnings for wind, rain and thunderstorms are also currently in force, including for parts of southeast England. Dramatic photographs show waves crashing against rocks in Dorset and Cornwall.
Further large swathes of the southwest of England and most of Wales remain subject to the yellow warning[5], Met Office says. Tom Morgan, meteorologist for Met Office, said: “Storm Antoni is now tracking east into the Irish Sea and will continue to move east across England and Wales.
“With it being the holiday season and it being a Saturday there will be plenty of local events going on, (Storm Antoni) wouldn’t necessarily bring the same level of impact if it was in the winter. For August this is very unusual.
“Effectively the trees are in full leaf so are more susceptible to strong winds. Building structures, trees and temporary structures such as marquees may not well be too adequate.
“Beach debris could be thrown from waves onto coastal roads, there’s a risk of dangerous tides, riptides and power cuts. Most travel disruption will be from (fallen) trees and branches.”
The RAC estimates that about four million cars will be using the roads for leisure journeys across the whole weekend.
The amber warnings remain in place until 7pm while the yellow one, which stretches as far north as Gwynedd, northwest Wales, will seize at 8pm, as it stands. Large waves and beach material are expected to be thrown onto seafronts, particularly along the west Wales coast, during this period.
Follow our live coverage of Storm Antoni here…
13:07Bradley Jolly
Three people rescued from the sea in north Wales
Three people were rescued after being swept out to sea in north Wales – just hours before the gusts officially became a named storm.
One of these was taken to hospital after a lifeboat was launched and an air ambulance was called in Gwynedd, northwest Wales.
Weather had become windy and unsettled in Wales yesterday as the low pressure moved towards the UK.
13:01Elliot Ball
A38 – major holiday route in Cornwall – closed after accident
A collision involving a lorry and a fallen tree led to the closure of part of the A38 in Cornwall today.
Tourists queued in traffic as the major holiday route to coastal resorts was shut both ways this morning.
Devon and Cornwall Police told Cornwall Live a tree had fallen amid the storm, but it remains unclear if anyone was hurt in the crash.
The road has since reopened.
12:51Bradley Jolly
Police warn residents to take care in Storm Antoni
Police in North Yorkshire alone have been called to overflowing rivers, heavy flooding outside shops and a lake which burst its banks.
A spokesperson for North Yorkhire Constabulary said: “North Yorkshire Police are receiving calls for weather related matters. We are alerting NYC Highways to assist. It may be obvious, but please don’t drive in to flood water, even if you think you can make it through.
“We are forecast thundery showers all day across the region. Please take care on the roads, there may be areas of water which cause aquaplaning.”
12:46KEY EVENT
More than 64mm of rain falls in parts of Yorkshire – and cars are submerged
Whitby in North Yorkshire has been washed out with floods as heavy rain and wind batter the costal hotspot.
The town has seen “extremely heavy” rain, with a staggering 64.80mm falling overnight along some parts of the coast.
Cars have been submerged nearby and residents have had to abandon their vehicles. Visitors say “you could swim” down steep hills where speedy floods have overflown into local businesses and homes.
By the seaside, water running from storm drains and sewage has overflown and is mixing with sea water[6].
Roads are flooded in Yorkshire after downpours (
North Yorkshire Weather Updates WS)
12:30Bradley Jolly
People evacuated from homes after flooding caused by heavy rain
Eight people have been evacuated from their Dublin homes after spot flooding caused by heavy rainfall overnight.
One person has been brought to hospital, Dublin Fire Brigade said in a statement. Forecaster Met Eireann had issued several warnings for heavy rain and strong winds as Storm Antoni moved eastwards across Ireland.
Firefighters attended the scene of flooding at the Castle Court Estate, off the Howth Road in Clontarf, on Saturday morning after multiple 999 calls were made. Eight people were evacuated by water-trained firefighters using inflatable rescue sleds to help people leave their homes safely.
“Operations are ongoing at the incident and firefighters from North Strand and Phibsborough fire stations are working with Dublin City Council crews alongside ESB network technicians. An apartment block basement remains flooded following the heavy rain overnight,” it said in a statement.
A man photographs waves crashing against the shore (
PA)
11:55Bradley Jolly
Four million cars using roads for leisure journeys this weekend
Driving conditions “will be atrocious” this weekend as Storm Antoni hits.
The RAC estimates about four million cars will be using the roads for leisure journeys across the whole weekend. The RAC’s Rod Dennis said: “We expect Saturday to be the worst day on the roads of the summer so far, especially for anyone in the southwest of England – and that’s a lot of people as our research shows it’s the most popular part of the country for leisure trips by car this year.
“Conditions will be atrocious with a wholly unpleasant mix of very strong winds and locally intense rainfall. The best advice is to slow down significantly to stay safe and avoid exposed moorland and coastal routes until the storm passes. Drivers towing caravans and trailers need to be particularly careful in these conditions and those with boxes and bikes on the roof should double-check they’re secured properly.
“Drivers should also watch out for fallen trees and be prepared for the disruption they cause.”
11:45Bradley Jolly
Such a severe storm is ‘very unusual’ for the time of the year, Met Office says
A Met Office meteorologist has detailled the potential dangers of Storm Antoni – stressing thunderstorms like it are “very unusual” for this year.
Tom Morgan, Met Office meteorologist, said: “With it being the holiday season and it being a Saturday there will be plenty of local events going on, (Storm Antoni) wouldn’t necessarily bring the same level of impact if it was in the winter.
“For August this is very unusual. Effectively the trees are in full leaf so are more susceptible to strong winds.
“Building structures, trees and temporary structures such as marquees may not well be too adequate. Beach debris could be thrown from waves onto coastal roads, there’s a risk of dangerous tides, riptides and power cuts.
“Most travel disruption will be from (fallen) trees and branches.”
Waves crash against the shore in Portland, Dorset (
PA)
11:35Bradley Jolly
Waves crash against the harbour wall at Porthcawl, south Wales
Waves crash against the harbour wall in south Wales in another dramatic image.
Porthcawl is part of a region subject to the amber weather warning for wind. Riptides are also feared in the coast off Porthcawl today.
The Met Office have issued an amber weather warning for wind as Storm Antoni hits (
Getty Images)
11:19Bradley Jolly
New photos show huge waves crash against the coast as winds start to pick up
Photographs taken this morning show monster waves crash against the UK coast. They were taken in Dorset and Cornwall, part of the region feared to be worst affected by Storm Antoni.
It’s starting to become treacherous on some roads too but pictures show holidaymakers undeterred by the weather as they head on the M5 for southwest resorts regardless.
Gusts push large waves into the shoreline at Porthleven, Cornwall (
Alamy Live News.)
10:42Bradley Jolly
Met Office map shows threat of thunderstorms
Thunderstorms are likely across the southeast of England today until 10pm, Met Office says.
A tweet shows the path of rainfall moving eastwards and reaching the capital and surrounding area by lunchtime. Thunderstorms will occur, and these may lead to some flooding and travel disruption.
“Some flooding of a few homes and businesses is possible, leading to some damage to buildings or structures,” the warning reads.
Thunderstorms across southeast England
Saturday 1100 – 2200
Latest info https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfs[7]
Stay #WeatherAware #StormAntoni pic.twitter.com/jDhyrkySN3[8][9][10]
— Met Office (@metoffice) August 5, 2023[11]
10:23KEY EVENT
Large sections of Scotland subject to weather warning for rain
Met Office has issued yet more weather warnings with most of Scotland now expected to see up to 25mm of rain in one hour.
“Heavy slow moving showers over southern Aberdeenshire Angus and Fife will slowly move west then southwest this morning, moving over the central belt early afternoon,” Met Office said.
“Showers are likely to give 10-15 mm of rain in an hour with locally 20-25 mm in an hour. This will result in some surface water flooding, giving difficult driving conditions. Showers will gradually ease through the afternoon.”
Those areas affected by the yellow weather warning are;
- Angus
- Clackmannanshire
- Dundee
- Falkirk
- Fife
- Perth and Kinross
- Stirling
- Aberdeenshire
- Edinburgh
- Midlothian Council
- Scottish Borders
- West Lothian
- East Ayrshire
- East Dunbartonshire
- East Renfrewshire
- Glasgow
- North Lanarkshire
- Renfrewshire
- South Lanarkshire
- West Dunbartonshire
People battle with the heavy rain today as a storm sweeps eastwards (
Geoffrey Swaine/REX/Shutterstock)
10:06Benjamin Lynch
Warning signs to look out for when driving in a storm
As another storm batters the UK, flooding is now widespread and motorists will be concerned about driving in this weather.
Generally speaking, people are ok to drive in most places in the UK, but should avoid it if they can.
Smaller country roads are more likely to clog up as Storm Franklin continues and people should not be out in a storm if they can avoid it.
If roads are flooded, it is best to try and find an alternative route[12] as large patches of standing water can cause dangerous aquaplaning or obscure damaging potholes.
09:39KEY EVENT
Further yellow weather warnings issued – for rain this time
The myriad of weather warnings has increased again – with Met Office concerned about rain across Northern Ireland.
A yellow warning has been issed for heavy and persistent rain in the following areas;
- County Antrim
- County Armagh
- County Down
- County Fermanagh
- County Londonderry
- County Tyrone
09:33Bradley Jolly
Storm Antoni to move eastwards across UK
As the day develops, the area of low pressure will swirl – boosted by the huge winds – eastwards across the nation.
A tweet from Met Office features a video with a graphic to display the storm’s path, highlighting it’s expected to batter the Midlands by early afternoon.
#StormAntoni[13] will continue to move east across the UK today
Heavy rain, thundery showers and strong winds are likely to lead to some disruption pic.twitter.com/1hhcag73eY[14]
— Met Office (@metoffice) August 5, 2023[15]
09:21Bradley Jolly
Forecasters ‘surprised’ to see storm named despite fears of huge gusts
Forecasters expressed their “surprise” at Met Office officially naming the low pressure as a storm – the first this year.
Netweather forecasters recognise there will be “severe weather expected” today[16] with heavy rain and strong winds moving eastwards.
But writing on the group’s website, meteorologist Paul Michaelwaite said: “The fact that there’s another low-pressure system bringing wind and rain this weekend isn’t a huge shock, since it’s become a pattern of late. But the fact that the Met Office have finally got around to naming a storm after seemingly doing their best to let everyone think they’d forgotten about the storm naming system is quite the surprise.”
Holidaymakers brave the rain and wind as they head south on the M5 for the coast (
Lee Thomas)
09:17KEY EVENT
Latest weather warnings for thunderstorms
The Met Office has issued additional weather warnings for thunderstorms for these regions:
- East Midlands
- East of England
- London & South East England
- South West England
- West Midlands
A warning on their website reads: “Heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop this afternoon, some being slow moving, particularly across southeastern parts of England later. Whilst some places will miss the worst of these, there is the potential for 15-25 mm of rain to fall locally within the space of an hour and perhaps 30-40 mm to accumulate in 2-3 hours. Lightning and hail may be additional hazards. Conditions will improve from the west through the evening, although only a slow improvement is expected across eastern England.”
08:57Bradley Jolly
Weather warnings issued by Met Office
Met Office issued amber and yellow weather warnings, the former for parts of the southwest of England and Wales.
The service’s website reads: “An area of low pressure, Storm Antoni, will bring particularly strong winds for the time of year to parts of southwest Wales and southwest England on Saturday. Strong northwesterly winds are likely to peak during the middle of the day in southwest Wales, and through the afternoon in southwest England, before easing during the evening.”
08:34Bradley Jolly
RNLI received up to 40 calls to one beach a day this week largely due to waves
High volume of calls for RNLI at Croyde beach in Devon have become a regular occurence this week – and it’s mostly due to the huge waves and currents.
Matt Whitley, lead lifeguard supervisor for RNLI in North Devon, told BBC: “We haven’t had amazing weather and the surf hasn’t been perfect but there have been waves, and those sort of conditions really created some rip currents.
“Croyde had in the region of 40 rescues yesterday so we’re finding the beach isn’t busy but the water is because the water’s still warm and people have wetsuits and are looking to enjoy their holiday.”
People play amongst the waves on a beach in Dorset despite the unseasonal weather (
PA)
08:16Bradley Jolly
Weather maps show the extent of the winds anticipated
Weather maps issued today by Met Office highlight gusts could reach 69mph in parts of Devon and west Wales. The light pink shade surrounding Exeter denotes gusts there are expected to be between 60-69mph.
Most other areas are expected to see wind speeds closer to the 60mph mark. Met Office is monitring the situation closely.
A map shows the wind speeds expected across the southwest, in particular, today (
Twitter/MetOffice)
References
- ^ Met Office (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ winds (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Storm Antoni (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Met Office upgraded yellow weather warnings regarding the first named storm of the year to more severe amber ones (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ remain subject to the yellow warning (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ sewage has overflown and is mixing with sea water (www.examinerlive.co.uk)
- ^ https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfs (t.co)
- ^ #WeatherAware (twitter.com)
- ^ #StormAntoni (twitter.com)
- ^ pic.twitter.com/jDhyrkySN3 (t.co)
- ^ August 5, 2023 (twitter.com)
- ^ it is best to try and find an alternative route (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ #StormAntoni (twitter.com)
- ^ pic.twitter.com/1hhcag73eY (t.co)
- ^ August 5, 2023 (twitter.com)
- ^ there will be “severe weather expected” today (www.mirror.co.uk)