BRITONS have been told “not to travel” as the country is battered by 80km/h winds brought by Storm Herminia just days after Storm Eowyn wreaked havoc.
A new weather front arrived in the southwest and moved north across England and Wales during Sunday.
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Wet and windy weather makes driving conditions difficult on the A102M Blackwall Tunnel Approach in Greenwich, South East LondonCredit: George Cracknell Wright
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Rubble from a building in Denny, Scotland after a partial wall collapse during a stormCredit: Reuters
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Satellite view of Storm Éowyn captured by NASA’s Worldview satellite imagery Credit: SWNS
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The Met Office had already put in place a number of yellow warnings ahead of Storm HerminiaCredit: BBC
Wind gusts of 82mph were recorded in Predannack, south Cornwall, on Sunday morning.
Areas that took the brunt of Storm Eowyn “will generally be a bit better”, but there will be some snow in higher areas of Scotland, the Met Office said.
RAC Breakdown spokeswoman Alice Simpson said: “With Storm Eowyn set to leave heavy rain and wind in its wake, the forecast indicates continued disruption for drivers in the West of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
“Falled trees and debris, along with flooding that continues over the weekend, will make journeys longer than usual and, in the worst case scenario, completely disrupt or block routes.
“Drivers should still take care and allow more time for their journeys or delay them until the worst of the weather has passed.
“The increased likelihood of standing water also means there is a risk of aquaplaning, where a thin layer of water causes the vehicle’s tires to lose contact with the road while driving at higher speeds.”
Yellow warnings for wind and rain have been issued for much of the south of the UK on Sunday and Monday.
Spanish meteorologists have named the low pressure system Storm Herminia because the European country will feel the strongest winds.
Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said: “The next few days will also be wet and windy, particularly in southern parts of the UK.
“Most of the UK will have very wet and at times very windy weather today and into Monday.
Snow and ice warnings as Met Office urges to be prepared and Storm Eowyn clean-up begins
“But from Tuesday onwards I expect it to remain generally quite changeable, but a few showers and quite windy, but not as disruptive as it has been – I think overall probably warnings are less likely from Tuesday onwards.
“We could certainly see some very strong winds in the south-east of the UK tonight and we could also see very strong winds across Cornwall and Devon tomorrow.”
Coastal parts of those areas will “very likely” see gusts of 60 to 70 mph.
There may also be very localized gusts of 70 to 80 mph in the southeast overnight Sunday.
UK weather forecast for 5 days
Tonight and tonight:
Rain and snow on the hills continues north across Scotland, while another area of heavy rain moves across central and southern England.
Windy in the south, with an occasional threat of gales in the interior and coastal areas.
Monday:
Showers or longer spells of rain in most areas, some heavy with a chance of thunder and snow in the northern hills.
Strong winds continue to blow in the south.
Outlook from Tuesday to Thursday:
On Tuesday wet and windy, and on Wednesday also in the south.
By Thursday everything becomes settled for everyone. Temperatures close to the seasonal average, but cold at night.
A yellow wind warning is in place for the whole of Northern Ireland until 7pm on Sunday, with another active until 5pm that day for southern parts of the UK, south-west Scotland and Wales.
A further yellow wind warning is in place between 10pm on Sunday and 7am on Monday and covers large parts of southern England, the North West, the West Midlands and Yorkshire.
Gusts of 55-65mph are possible overnight, with gusts of 80mph unlikely, the Met Office said.
All three warn of potential disturbances.
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Residents across Ireland have been urged to stay at home as the island braces for Storm EowynCredit: PA
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A woman struggled with her hair on Westminster Bridge during windy weather in central London todayCredit: George Cracknell Wright
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Some were not deterred by unfavorable weather conditionsCredit: Bav Media
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Storm Eowyn hits the Kent coast at Folkestone Harbor Credit: Pete Maclaine / Parsons Media
A yellow warning for periods of heavy rain which could cause flooding of roads and properties has been issued for the West Midlands and most of Wales until 11.59pm on Monday.
The Met Office expects 20mm to 40mm to fall fairly widely and 50mm to 70mm on higher ground.
Another round of heavy rain, thundery showers and some localized flooding is active for parts of central and southern England until 6am on Monday.
10mm to 20mm of rain is forecast to fall fairly widely, closer to 30mm to 50mm at higher elevations.
Further heavy rain on Sunday night could bring up to 80mm in a few places.
Ben Lukey, head of floods at the Environment Agency, said: “Periods of heavy rain mean surface water and river flooding is possible in parts of England on Sunday night into Monday.
“Although not expected, impacts could include localized flooding from watercourses, drains, canals and flooding from overland flows.
“The risk of coastal flooding remains very low. However, we urge people to stay away from exposed areas on beaches, promenades, coastal footpaths and roads where large waves and sea spray can be dangerous.”
He warned people not to drive through flood water as 30 cm of flowing water is enough to float a car.
Two men died in separate incidents when a falling tree hit their cars during Storm Eowyn.
Driving in storm, rain and strong wind
Choices and planning ahead
- Even moderate rain can reduce your ability to see and be seen. A good rule of thumb is ‘if it’s time for your wipers, it’s time to slow down’
- If heavy showers are expected, avoid setting off until it clears up
- If you can, choose main roads, where you are less likely to be exposed to fallen branches and debris and flooding
- Use low beams if visibility is severely reduced
- Gusts of wind can shake vehicles – grip the steering wheel firmly with both hands. This is especially important when you plan to overtake
- Look out for gaps between trees, buildings or bridges over rivers or railways – these are some of the places where you’re more likely to be exposed to crosswinds. Make sure you have enough space on either side of your vehicle to explain that it was swept sideways
- Roads will be more slippery than usual in wet weather – give yourself more time to react when approaching danger. Increase the distance between vehicles in front to at least four seconds
- Keep your eyes open on the road at all times as spray from other vehicles can suddenly reduce your visibility. Remember that it affects others, so anticipate their actions and be prepared.
The tree hit the 19-year-old’s blue Ford Focus at around 6.45am on Friday in Mauchline, East Ayrshire, and he died the following day, Police Scotland said.
There was an amber weather warning in place for the area at the time.
Scottish First Minister John Swinney expressed his condolences to the man’s family and friends.
He said in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter: “This is tragic and heartbreaking news. Our thoughts and sympathies are with the family and friends of the man who died.”
Kacper Dudek, 20, died after a tree fell on his car in Feddyglass, Raphoe, Co Donegal, early on Friday and Irish police are investigating the incident.
Ministers from across the UK held an emergency Cobra meeting on Saturday to coordinate recovery efforts, and extra engineers were sent from England to Northern Ireland and Scotland.
NIE (Northern Ireland Electricity) Networks said at midday on Sunday around 75,000 of its customers were without power following Storm Eowyn and 210,000 properties had been reconnected.
At the same time, more than 14,080 SP Energy Networks customers were still not connected to the grid, although power was restored to more than 220,000.
69,000 calls were required during Storm Eowyn, which equates to two months of calls in two days.
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On Friday they battled strong winds in BlackpoolCredit: Bav Media
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People struggling with umbrellas as bad weather hits LondonCredit: PA
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An ice rink collapsed during Storm Eowyn in Blanchardstown, a suburb of DublinCredit: Getty
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A house in Baildon, West Yorkshire, which was badly damaged after a huge tree landed on the property following strong windsCredit: Ben Lack
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