UK weather forecast: 70mph gales and snow to hit flooded Britain with rush-hour chaos after Storm of the Century Ciara

BRITAIN faces rush-hour chaos today after the Storm Ciara sparked devastating floods and 97mph gales yesterday.

Met Office weather forecasters have issued severe warnings for snow, gales and ice as Brits brace themselves for yet more travel chaos and school closures this morning.

Rail passengers this morning have been warning to check if their trains are running before attempting to travel.

Most of the country will see services disrupted as the bad weather continues, and as workers scramble to repair damage caused by yesterday's strong winds and rain.

And all the UK airports have warned of delays and cancellations still today, as the country reels from the battering.

Gatwick Airport tweeted: "As we recover from storm Ciara, some flights on Monday will be subject to delays and cancellations.

"Passengers should check with their airline for the latest information on their flight."

Storm Ciara left a devastating trail of destruction after a month's worth of rain was dumped in just 24 hours yesterday.

The storm cut off villages, left over 13,000 homes in the Midlands, the south west and Wales without power and sparked travel chaos on air, land and sea.

Hundreds of homes across Lancashire and Cumbria were evacuated after rivers burst its banks during "biblical" floods.

Dozens of flights at all the UK airports were grounded, hundreds of rail passengers were stranded and ferry services were abandoned.

The 12-hour pummelling saw fallen trees flatten cars, turned a towering crane into "spaghetti" and even crumpled a football stand.

Met Office forecasters dubbed it the "Storm of the Century" and warned six inches of snow would follow today in parts of Scotland and northern England.

Meanwhile, 70mph gales are to batter the south coast and Devon and Cornwall after 97mph was recorded on the Isle of Wight yesterday.

Helen Roberts, a senior meteorologist with the Met Office, said: "In terms of area, this is probably the biggest storm this century.

"I have not seen amber warnings on this scale, across all of Wales and much of England."

Yellow warnings are in place for the North West, North East, Midlands and Yorkshire, with the worst of the severe weather expected between 3pm on Monday and midnight on Tuesday.

The Met Office said: "Showers will turn increasingly to snow later on Monday, becoming frequent and heavy at times and lasting through Tuesday.

"The snow showers will occur particularly over high ground giving locally 1-3cm above around 150 metres and 3-8cm above 300 metres.

"Snow will gradually build, perhaps leading to accumulation of 10-15cm on the highest routes."

Ciara hit Britain on the back of a Gulf air stream travelling at 265mph, which was as fast as it had ever been, she added

Stranded families in Ramsbottom, Blackpool and Whalley were rescued from their flood-ravaged homes and cars by boat.

In Swanley, Kent a packed train crashed into a tree that toppled onto the tracks leaving passengers stranded.
And a hotel in the Scottish Borders was destroyed during ferocious winds.

The town of Appleby-in-Westmorland in Cumbria was hit by severe flooding as the River Eden burst its banks, with residents battling to protect their homes.

Three people were injured after part of a pub roof collapsed in Perth last night and Bedfordshire police said emergency services were called to Flitwick today after a tree fell onto a car.

Manchester City's Premier League tie with West Ham at the Etihad Stadium was among a host of sporting events postponed.

According to Torro, the UK's tornado and storm research organisation, the wild weather could see "one or two fast-moving" tornadoes develop.

The weather bomb sparked travel chaos with nearly 200 flights in and out of Europe, as well as dozens to and from UK airports, cancelled or delayed.

Storm Ciara also disrupted Sunday's sporting programme, as horse racing, rugby union, rugby league and football fixtures, including the Premier League match between Manchester City and West Ham in Manchester, were all postponed.