Storm Debi roars in as 80mph gusts batter Britain – and more to come
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People across the UK have been thrown into travel chaos as flights were cancelled and trains have been delayed as Storm Debi arrived in the UK.
British Airways[3] has cancelled 50 flights from London Heathrow[4] today after parts of northern Ireland, northwest Wales and northern England were hammered by winds of up 77mph this afternoon.
Trains have also been cancelled across the country after gale force winds brought down trees at several locations, damaging overhead lines. Some rail networks in Scotland have also been halted due to flooding, throwing passengers into disarray.
There are currently more than 100 flood alerts in place in England, with flooding expected in areas in Yorkshire, the Midlands, Norfolk, Sussex and the South East after Storm Debi unleashed torrential downpours today.
The Met Office[5] has issued an amber weather warning for wind, active from 10am until 4pm, for parts of the North West covering coastal areas north of Liverpool up to Whitehaven, with the potential for flying debris to present a danger to life.
The forecaster has also issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms, which is in place between 5am and 12pm tomorrow across the south of England, from London[6] to Cornwall.
NORTH YORKSHIRE: A bus struggles to drive through the waters on a flooded A684 Appersett
NORTH YORKSHIRE: The heavy rain left the road ‘impassable’ according to one eyewitness
GALWAY: Cars were submerged in the harbour city after the storm swept across Ireland overnight
DUBLIN: A worker had a lucky escape when a tree fell on top of his van during the storm
DUBLIN: He was sitting in the vehicle when the tree came crashing down, shattering his windscreen with glass scattered all over the windscreen
An amber weather warning for wind – meaning buildings could be damaged and travel disruption was likely – has remained in place this afternoon for North West England. The Met Office’s amber alert for North West England, covering coastal areas from Liverpool to Whitehaven, was put in place until 4pm.
Gusts of 77mph were recorded in Gwynedd, 74mph at Killowen in Northern Ireland and 68mph on the Isle of Man as the low pressure system moved across the Irish Sea.
Winds of 70-80mph were expected at the coast, with 60-65mph predicted for inland areas as Storm Debi moves from west to east, heading out into the North Sea this evening.
People were told to expect flying debris, tiles blown off roofs, road and bridge closures, public transport to be affected, possible power cuts and dangerous conditions by the sea.
Those living near the sea have been told to keep away from the waterfront, with huge waves seen battering Blackpool seafront this morning.
A woman has been taken to hospital after being hit by flying debris as Storm Debi’s trail of destruction also brought coastal flooding and widespread power outages across Ireland.
A yellow warning for wind, the lowest level of alert, is in place until 6pm for areas including Bangor and St Davids in Wales and Manchester, Sheffield and Liverpool in England.
The Met Office has issued a yellow warning of heavy rain for Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen, Angus and Moray which is in place from 10am until 9pm on Monday, while a yellow warning for wind and rain was in place in Northern Ireland from 3am to 2pm today.
WHITEHAVEN: The waves crash over the jetty in the seaside town in Cumbria
GWYNEED: The waterfall in Porth Felan is blown upwards due to the ferocity of the winds in Wales
Heavy flooding was seen in the West End of Glasgow today as Storm Debi hits the UK with weather warnings for wind and rain in large parts of the UK
The trunk of a large tree rests atop a car in Greenwich South east London after being blown down during high winds bought on by Storm Debi
Storm Debi hit Blackpool this morning causing huge waves to crash onto the pier
AMBLESIDE: The waters in the stream in the Cumbrian town could be seen rapidly flowing and almost bursting its banks
Drivers get caught in deep surface water on the A3 slip road Kingston by pass, south-west London after heavy rain this morning
An amber weather warning has been issued for parts of north-west England as Storm Debi hits the UK, bringing heavy rain and severe gale-force winds
A fallen tree on the Dublin Road in Dundalk, Irleand, where heavy winds have been reported across the country
A fallen tree on the Coes Road in Dundalk, Co Louth, in Irleand. Heavy winds and fallen trees have been reported across the country today as Storm Debi has arrived across the UK
A beach rescue truck struggles to manoeuvre through torrential rain in Blackpool as Storm Debi batters the north east of England
Storm Debi combined with high tide brings large crashing waves, battering against the sea defences along Aberystwyth seafront in Ceredigion, Wales, this morning
Storm Debi has developed rapidly overnight and will bring impacts across parts of the UK today, Met Office meteorologists have claimed
Weather warnings have been issued for large parts of the UK, as the storm is forecast to sweep across Ireland before reaching northern England and parts of Wales today, with the potential for 80mph gusts in some areas
A yellow warning for wind, the lowest level of alert, will be in place from 4am until 6pm for areas including Bangor and St Davids in Wales and Manchester, Sheffield and Liverpool in England. Aberdeenshire in Scotland will have a yellow warning for rain from 10am until 9pm
Very strong winds will move across the northern areas of the UK today, while it will remain rather mild in the south
Rail passengers are facing disruption in Scotland as Storm Debi sweeps in, with speed restrictions being put in place and some services halted due to flooding.
Network Rail Scotland said speed limits will have to be put in place as a result of the weather. Trains are unable to run on the line between Dumfries and Sanquhar as a result of heavy flooding.
A restriction is already in place as a result of the weather on the West Highland line between Garelochhead and Crianlarich.
Parts of north-east Scotland likely to see heavy rain were also battered by Storm Babet last month, including Brechin in Angus, where hundreds of homes had to be evacuated after the river South Esk breached its banks.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Network Rail said: ‘Storm Debi isn’t expected to impact our network as much as recent storms but the high winds & heavy rain do mean that we need to limit train speeds on a few sections of track from 17:00 today until 08:00 tomorrow on several sections of track between Montrose & Portlethen and also between Huntly and Insch.
‘Additionally, a speed restriction is already in place on the West Highland Line until 08:30 tomorrow between Garelochhead and Crianlarich.’
Chief meteorologist Matthew Lehnert said: ‘Storm Debi has developed rapidly overnight and will bring impacts across parts of the UK today.
‘Because of the particular risk of impacts to parts of County Armagh and County Down this morning and parts of north-west England through much of the day we have issued two amber wind warnings.’
Commuters attempt to shelter during wet and windy weather on London Bridge in central London as storm Debi arrives in the UK
Those in coastal areas have been advised to keep away from the waterfront, with huge waves seen battering Brighton seafront this morning
Commuters walking across London Bridge today were caught in heavy downpours as Storm Debi arrives on UK shores
A car creates a splash as it drives through a flooded road in Greenwich, south-east London, following torrential this morning
Commuters shelter during wet weather at Westcombe Park station in Greenwich, south-east London, this morning as Storm Debi arrives in the UK
Storm Debi will bring heavy rain to parts of the UK today. Pictured: A lorry drives along a flooded street in south-east London this morning
British Airways has reportedly cancelled 50 flight from London Heathrow following the powerful winds brought by Storm Debi.
The Telegraph reported that departures from the capital to Aberdeen, Belfast, Manchester, Newcatsle, Edinburgh and Glasgow have all been grounded while services to other cities in Europe have also been axed.
Meanwhile, forecasters warned of a potential ‘danger to life’ as schools in parts of Ireland which delayed opening due to weather warnings across the island.
A yellow warning for every county in Ireland came into effect at midnight and remained in place until 3pm on Monday, and the majority of people are also living in areas where the Irish meteorological agency has issued red warnings due to ‘severe and damaging gusts’.
A second red warning was in effect for Dublin, Kildare, Laois, Louth, Meath, Wicklow, Offaly and Westmeath until 9am.
A status orange wind warning also applies to these counties as well as Longford, Cavan, Monaghan, Kilkenny, Longford, Clare, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary, Carlow and the rest of Galway and Roscommon from 2am until 10am.
Jonathan Vautrey, meteorologist for the Met Office, urged people to ‘take care before you travel’ as morning rush hour is expected to be affected.
He said: ‘There will be some heavy rainfall, the potential for flying debris, the potential for disruption to travel and infrastructure in places.’
Dublin Airport warned the weather ‘may cause some disruption to early morning flights’, while the Luas said there will be no Red or Green Line tram services operating before approximately 10am.
Dublin Coach said a number of its services had been cancelled because of the weather warnings with updates to be provided throughout the day.
Dublin Bus said none of its services will operate before 10am on Monday due to Storm Debi, and there will be a phased return with some disruptions later in the day.
A separate overnight red warning for east Galway and south Roscommon was extended until 7am. A yellow warning applies to every county in Ireland until 3pm today.
Ireland’s National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG) advised schools and pre-schools in several counties to remain closed until 10am today.
A spokesman for the Irish electricity company ESB said approximately 100,000 customers were without power supply at 7:45am on Monday due to Storm Debi.
Jason Kelly, chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: ‘The strongest winds are expected to affect parts of the Republic of Ireland early on Monday, possibly coinciding with the morning commute, before affecting parts of north Wales and northern England into the afternoon.
‘Whilst the very strongest winds will have eased somewhat before reaching the UK, we are still expecting some significant impacts, and a wind warning has been issued.
‘Additionally, Debi will bring a period of heavy rain to Northern Ireland[7] for which a combined wind and rain warning has been issued.’
Simon Partridge, a spokesman for the Met Office, added: ‘For parts of north-west Wales and England, there is a possibility of 70 to 80mph winds.
‘It will be a wet and blustery day for all.’
References
- ^ live blog (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Dan Woodland (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ British Airways (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Heathrow (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Met Office (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ London (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Northern Ireland (www.dailymail.co.uk)