Storm Debi: Weather warnings as storm disrupts power and travel

Warnings for wind and rain are in force for the north of England and the north-east of Scotland as Storm Debi sweeps through the UK.

tea Post office notices It comes as Debi, the fourth named storm of the season, has caused power outages and travel disruptions in some areas.

Gusts of more than 70 mph (112.7 km/h) were recorded in Wales and Northern Ireland.

There is also a possible danger to life from flying debris and large waves.

The rain and wind first hit Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, then Wales, before moving east and into the North Sea on Monday night.

In Northern Ireland, Storm Debi caused road closures and some disruption to the public transport network. NIE Networks said around 3,000 customers were without power, mainly around Craigavon, Newry and Downpatrick.

Gusts of up to 77mph lashed parts of the Welsh coast after a yellow weather warning in north, central and west Wales, while winds of 74 mph were recorded in Killowen, Northern Ireland, and 68 mph in the Isle of Man.

A Met Office amber wind warning – meaning a potential risk to life and property – was in place for parts of south-west Northern Ireland this morning and will remain in place until 4pm in parts of the north-west of England, including Cumbria, Lancashire and Merseyside. .

Yellow wind warnings were also in place for most of northern England and Wales until 6pm. This has been extended until 9:00pm for most of the north of England, including Lincoln, Sheffield and Manchester as far as Carlisle and Newcastle.

A yellow warning for rain until 9pm has also been issued for parts of north-east Scotland which were battered by Storm Babet last month, including Inverness, and Brechin in Angus, where hundreds of homes have to be evacuated after the river South Esk. breached their banks.

Storm Debi developed in the Republic of Ireland, where red weather warnings were in place earlier. About 100,000 homes and businesses lost power, with the number expected to rise.

A woman was taken to hospital after being hit by flying debris in Limerick and some schools were forced to close.

BBC Weather’s Simon King said Storm Debi could lead to some localized flooding, especially in Northern Ireland and eastern Scotland.

He said the stormy conditions would be mostly felt around the coasts of the Irish Sea and that there could be branches or trees and potentially damage to buildings.

The Met Office said the severe weather could lead to flooding of homes and businesses – with potentially life-threatening fast-flowing or deep floodwaters.

Spray and flooding could also lead to difficult travel conditions, with some road and bridge closures, and disruptions to rail, air and ferry services.

The Met Office said mobile phone coverage could also be affected and injuries and life-threatening injuries could occur from large waves and beach material being thrown onto seafronts, the coast and the road.

British Airways said it had to “make a small number of cancellations” due to the bad weather, which has reduced the number of flights air traffic controllers are allowing to land for now.

There could be more unsettled weather on Tuesday morning with a yellow warning for thunderstorms in place for the south of England.

Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said: “There will be a band of squally rain from 05:00.

“We could see some sudden downpours in that band of rain, with 15-20mm of rain in a relatively short period of time, gusty winds and thunder and lightning.”

Experts say a warming atmosphere increases the likelihood of heavy rainfall and storms.

However, many factors contribute to extreme weather and it will take time for scientists to calculate how much impact climate change has had on particular events – if any.

The world has already warmed by about 1.1°C since the start of the industrial age and temperatures will continue to rise unless the world’s governments make sharp cuts in emissions.

Additional reporting by Emily Atkinson and Harrison Jones