Storm Bert: Met Office warns ‘worst is to come’ after man killed by fallen tree, flights axed & thousands without power
Keep scrolling for a full list of regions affected
BRITS have been warned “the worst is to come” after Storm Bert brought 82mph winds and travel chaos.
Winds of up to 70mph are set to batter coastal areas again on Sunday with melting snow and heavy rain causing flooding across the country.
More than 200 flood alerts are in place with Met Office yellow warnings for rain and wind covering large swathes of the country on Sunday.
It comes as tens of thousands of homes were without power on Saturday night as Storm Bert continues to wreak havoc.
Ross Easton, of Energy Networks Association (ENA) – which represents the UK’s power network operators, said: “There are a few localised weather-related power cuts in parts of Britain this morning.
“However, for most parts of the country the severe weather hasn’t yet had a significant impact.
“Forecasters are describing this as a ‘multi-hazard event’ with the worst of the weather yet to arrive, and so our members have extra engineers and contact centre teams available, and control rooms are monitoring the storm closely as it develops.”
Dozens of red flood warnings have been issued in England, meaning flooding is expected and residents and business owners should “act now”, according to the Environment Agency (EA).
Milder temperatures are causing the snow which covered the north of England and much of Scotland to melt.
The Met Office said Storm Bert is likely to cause “dangerous coastal conditions” and disruption across southern England and parts of Wales until 9pm on Sunday with a yellow wind warning in place.
The national weather service has warned some communities may be cut off by flooded roads, particularly in the west of England.
Yesterday, a man in his 60s died in Hampshire just before 8.00am after a tree fell on his car.
The man was driving a black Mercedes E350 on the A34 southbound carriageway, between Kings Worthy and Winnall.
He was tragically pronounced dead at the scene and his family have been informed.
Cops said a second car, a silver Skoda Kodiaq, was also damaged but no other injuries were reported.
Strong winds are set to cause “dangerous coastal conditions”, the Met Office said, and a yellow wind warning is in place until 9pm on Sunday for southern England and parts of Wales.
The strongest gust so far during the storm was 82mph recorded in Capel Curig, north Wales.
It comes as five children and give adults were rescued from a landslide yesterday as 82mph gusts and flash floods batter the UK.
All ten people were rescued from the house in Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog, near Llangollen in North Wales.
Areas affected by Met Office weather warnings
Friday
Yellow warning – snow & ice (up to midday)
Grampian
- Aberdeenshire
- Moray
Highlands & Eilean Siar
- Highland
Orkney & Shetland
- Orkney Islands
- Shetland Islands
Yellow warning – snow & ice (up to 10am)
Central, Tayside & Fife
- Angus
- Clackmannanshire
- Dundee
- Falkirk
- Fife
- Perth and Kinross
- Stirling
East Midlands
- Derby
- Derbyshire
- Leicester
- Leicestershire
- Lincolnshire
- Northamptonshire
- Nottingham
- Nottinghamshire
- Rutland
East of England
- Bedford
- Cambridgeshire
- Central Bedfordshire
- Essex
- Hertfordshire
- Luton
- Norfolk
- Peterborough
- Suffolk
Grampian
- Aberdeen
- Aberdeenshire
Highlands & Eilean
- Siar Na h-Eileanan Siar
- Highland
London & South East England
- Buckinghamshire
- Milton Keynes
- Oxfordshire
- North East England
- Durham
- Gateshead
- Hartlepool
- Newcastle upon Tyne
- North Tyneside
- Northumberland
- Redcar and Cleveland
- South Tyneside
- Stockton-on-Tees
- Sunderland
North West England
- Blackburn with Darwen
- Blackpool
- Cheshire East
- Cheshire West and Chester
- Cumbria
- Greater Manchester
- Halton
- Lancashire
- Merseyside
- Warrington
SW Scotland, Lothian Borders
- Dumfries and Galloway
- East Lothian
- Edinburgh
- Midlothian Council
- Scottish Borders
- West Lothian
Strathclyde
- Argyll and Bute
- East Ayrshire
- East Dunbartonshire
- East Renfrewshire
- Glasgow Inverclyde
- North Ayrshire
- North Lanarkshire
- Renfrewshire
- South Ayrshire
- South Lanarkshire
- West Dunbartonshire
Wales
- Carmarthenshire
- Ceredigion
- Conwy
- Denbighshire
- Flintshire
- Gwynedd
- Isle of Anglesey
- Pembrokeshire
- Powys
- Wrexham
West Midlands
- Herefordshire
- Shropshire
- Staffordshire
- Stoke-on-Trent
- Telford and Wrekin
- Warwickshire
West Midlands
- Conurbation
- Worcestershire
Yorkshire & Humber
- East Riding of Yorkshire
- North Yorkshire
- South Yorkshire
- West Yorkshire
Yellow warning – snow & ice (up to 10am)
- Northern Ireland
- County Antrim
- County Armagh
- County Down
- County Fermanagh
- County Londonderry
- County Tyrone
Yellow warning – ice (up to 10am)
London & South East England
- Hampshire
- Isle of Wight
- Portsmouth
- Southampton
- West Sussex
South West England
- Bath and North East Somerset
- Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole
- Cornwall
- Devon
- Dorset
- North Somerset
- Plymouth
- Somerset
- Torbay
- Wiltshire
Saturday
Yellow warning – wind (5am-7pm)
Central, Tayside & Fife
- Angus
- Fife
- Perth and Kinross
- Stirling
Grampian
- Aberdeen
- Aberdeenshire
- Moray
Highlands & Eilean Siar
- Na h-Eileanan Siar
- Highland
North East England
- North Tyneside
- Northumberland
- Redcar and Cleveland
- South Tyneside
- Sunderland
North West England
- Cumbria
Northern Ireland
- County Antrim
- County Armagh
- County Down
- County Fermanagh
- County Londonderry
- County Tyrone
SW Scotland, Lothian Borders
- Dumfries and Galloway
- East Lothian
- Midlothian Council
- Scottish Borders
- Strathclyde
- Argyll and Bute East
- Ayrshire East
- Renfrewshire
- Inverclyde
- North Ayrshire
- Renfrewshire
- South Ayrshire
- South Lanarkshire
Wales
- Ceredigion
- Conwy
- Gwynedd
- Isle of Anglesey
- Pembrokeshire
Yorkshire & Humber
- East Riding of Yorkshire
- North Yorkshire
Amber warning – snow & ice (7am-5pm)
Central, Tayside & Fife
- Angus
- Perth and Kinross
- Stirling
- Grampian
- Aberdeenshire
Highlands & Eilean Siar
- Highland
- Strathclyde
- Argyll and Bute
Yellow warning – rain & snow (4am-9am)
Central, Tayside & Fife
- Angus
- Clackmannanshire
- Falkirk
- Fife
- Perth and Kinross
- Stirling
East Midlands
- Derby
- Derbyshire
- Nottingham
- Nottinghamshire
- Grampian
- Aberdeenshire
- Moray
Highlands & Eilean Siar
- Highland
North East England
- Darlington
- Durham
- Gateshead
- Hartlepool
- Middlesbrough
- Newcastle upon Tyne
- Northumberland
- Redcar and Cleveland
- Stockton-on-Tees
- Sunderland
North West England
- Blackburn with Darwen
- Cheshire East
- Cumbria
- Greater Manchester
- Lancashire
SW Scotland, Lothian Borders
- Dumfries and Galloway East
- Lothian
- Edinburgh
- Midlothian Council
- Scottish Borders
- West Lothian
- Strathclyde
- Argyll and Bute East
- Ayrshire East
- Dunbartonshire East
- Renfrewshire
- Glasgow
- Inverclyde
- North Ayrshire
- North Lanarkshire
- Renfrewshire
- South Ayrshire
- South Lanarkshire
- West Dunbartonshire
West Midlands
- Staffordshire
- Stoke-on-Trent
Yorkshire & Humber
- East Riding of Yorkshire
- North Yorkshire
- South Yorkshire
- West Yorkshire
- York
Yellow warning – rain and snow (midnight-11am)
Northern Ireland
- County Antrim
- County Armagh
- County Down
- County Fermanagh
- County Londonderry
- County Tyrone
Yellow warning – rain (6am-6am Sunday)
Wales
- Blaenau
- Gwent
- Bridgend
- Caerphilly
- Cardiff
- Carmarthenshire
- Ceredigion
- Conwy
- Denbighshire
- Gwynedd
- Merthyr Tydfil
- Monmouthshire
- Neath
- Port Talbot
- Newport
- Pembrokeshire
- Powys
- Rhondda
- Cynon Taf
- Swansea
- Torfaen
- Vale of Glamorgan
- Wrexham
West Midlands
- Herefordshire
- Shropshire
Yellow warning – rain (6am-11.45pm)
London & South East England
- Hampshire
- Oxfordshire
- Portsmouth
- Southampton
- West Berkshire
- South West England
- Bath and North East Somerset
- Bournemouth
- Christchurch and Poole
- Bristol
- Cornwall
- Devon
- Dorset
- Gloucestershire
- North Somerset
- Plymouth
- Somerset
- South Gloucestershire
- Swindon
- Torbay
- Wiltshire
West Midlands
- Herefordshire
Sunday
Yellow warning – rain & snow (4am Saturday-9am Sunday)
Central, Tayside & Fife
- Angus
- Clackmannanshire
- Falkirk
- Fife
- Perth and Kinross
- Stirling
East Midlands
- Derby
- Derbyshire
- Nottingham
- Nottinghamshire
- Grampian
- Aberdeenshire
- Moray
Highlands & Eilean Siar
- Highland
North East England
- Darlington
- Durham
- Gateshead
- Hartlepool
- Middlesbrough
- Newcastle upon Tyne
- Northumberland
- Redcar and Cleveland
- Stockton-on-Tees
- Sunderland
North West England
- Blackburn with Darwen
- Cheshire East
- Cumbria
- Greater Manchester
- Lancashire
SW Scotland, Lothian Borders
- Dumfries and Galloway
- East Lothian
- Edinburgh
- Midlothian Council
- Scottish Borders
- West Lothian
- Strathclyde
- Argyll and Bute
- East Ayrshire
- East Dunbartonshire
- East Renfrewshire
- Glasgow
- Inverclyde
- North Ayrshire
- North Lanarkshire
- Renfrewshire
- South Ayrshire
- South Lanarkshire
- West Dunbartonshire
West Midlands
- Staffordshire
- Stoke-on-Trent
Yorkshire & Humber
- East Riding of Yorkshire
- North Yorkshire
- South Yorkshire
- West Yorkshire York
Yellow warning – rain (6am Saturday to 6am Sunday)
Wales
- Blaenau
- Gwent
- Bridgend
- Caerphilly
- Cardiff
- Carmarthenshire
- Ceredigion
- Conwy
- Denbighshire
- Gwynedd
- Merthyr Tydfil
- Monmouthshire
- Neath
- Port Talbot
- Newport
- Pembrokeshire
- Powys
- Rhondda
- Cynon Taf
- Swansea
- Torfaen
- Vale of Glamorgan
- Wrexham
West Midlands
- Herefordshire
- Shropshire
A North Wales Fire and Rescue Services spokesman said they are all being assessed by ambulance services away from the scene “somewhere warm”.
A further landslide has been reported in the area but it is understood no one else was affected.
It comes as Brits have been warned to stock up on food and water as “multi-hazard event” Storm Bert has seen trains axed, ferries cancelled and roads closed.
Families in Belfast have been “trapped inside” their homes as firefighters pump out flood water, as reported by the BBC.
“The mother of one man I spoke to this morning said her son had woken up and went down to see around two to three feet of water in his home this morning,” a reporter at the scene said.
“The fridge was floating around the kitchen.”
In West Yorkshire, a 34-year-old man from Bradford was killed after a car collided with a wall in Shipley.
However, officers are continuing to investigate the cause and it is understood the road was not icy at the time of the incident.
The Met Office issued seven yellow and two amber weather warnings yesterday as the UK braced for 70mph winds, heavy snow, rain and flooding.
British Gas also warned it is advisable to stock up on food and water as Storm Bert comes into full force.
The company urged: “It’s a good habit to have at least three days’ worth of food and essentials stored in an easy-to-reach part of your home.
“That’s things like medicines, drinking water, non-perishable food and snacks and extra blankets.”
“You should also keep a torch, batteries and a phone charger close by too,” they added.
On Saturday, “blizzards” hit the UK, forcing train companies to scrap services, several major road closures, airport disruption and ferry cancellations.
Storm Bert sparked travel chaos at several major UK airports yesterday including Newcastle, Leeds Bradford, and Heathrow.
Passengers at Newcastle reported operations coming to a stand still as staff deal with snowfall.
Other holidaymakers reported “no flights” are taking off, and there have been reports of seven hour delays on Ryanair trips.
“Temporary halt to Newcastle Airport (NCL) operations aswell, whilst they try and deal with the falling snow. All flights currently holding,” wrote one on social media.
And, the airport’s online departure board confirmed many flights set to depart were delayed.
There was also disruption at Leeds Bradford Airport after the runway was forced to close.
British Airways has also been forced to ground 36 domestic and European flights to and from London Heathrow on Saturday.
Rail operators cancelled services on some routes all day on Saturday and urged passengers to check their routes before making journeys.
Avanti West Coast cancelled its service between Edinburgh and Carlisle all day on Saturday with the next direct service from Carlisle not scheduled to run until Sunday afternoon.
Train journeys to and from Manchester Piccadilly were disrupted on Saturday evening as flooding between Macclesfield and Stoke-on-Trent blocked some lines.
The M48 Severn Bridge has also closed in both directions due to current wind speeds, National Highways announced this morning.
Drivers have been advised to seek “alternative routes” including the M60, M62 and M1.
Further south, the A14 was closed in both directions from J36 to J37 as a result of a “serious collision between three cars”.
RAC Breakdown spokeswoman Alice Simpson warned drivers to be aware of “rapidly changing conditions” on the roads because of Storm Bert.
“Persistent downpours will lead to areas of standing water, so it’s important to keep speeds down as the risk of losing control through aquaplaning on a thin layer of water is far greater,” she said.
“Drivers should also be very wary of puddles as they can sometimes hide dangerous potholes beneath that can cause expensive damage to vehicles.
“Strong winds increase the risk of debris falling into the road which makes journeys more challenging, particularly in exposed coastal areas where drivers might be at risk of being buffeted off course.
“Routes in Scotland, especially rural ones, look likely to face disruption from fresh snow that is forecast on Friday and Saturday.
“We encourage motorists to stick to major roads where possible and take extra care in the worst-affected areas.
“Those who have to drive should stay tuned to weather forecasts and allow plenty of time to de-ice and de-mist your vehicle, as it’s dangerous and illegal to drive looking out of a small gap in a frozen windscreen.”
Ferry operator CalMac, which serves the west coast of Scotland, axed several services on Saturday in anticipation of travel chaos.
P&O Ferries confirmed the 4am sailing between Larne in Northern Ireland and Cairnryan in Scotland was also scrapped.
Meanwhile, people have also been urged to “stay well clear” of power lines.
WEATHER WARNINGS
THESE are the latest up-to-date Met Office weather warnings
Yellow weather warnings
Yellow weather warning for wind in place from 5am until 7pm Saturday, stretching from the north east of Scotland all the way down to the east Midlands.
A second yellow weather warning from 5am until 7pm Saturday covering much of Scotland, the Midlands, reaching down as far as Birmingham and northern parts of Wales.
In Northern Ireland a yellow weather warning for rain and snow came into force at midnight and lasts until 11am.
The same alert for rain and snow is in place from 4am until 9am this morning over Scotland, and stretches down to Manchester.
A yellow weather warning for rain is affecting Wales from 6am until 6am tomorrow.
Another rain alert covers the south west coast line from 6am until 11.45pm tomorrow.
A yellow wind warning is also in place along much of the south coast from 9am until 9pm tomorrow.
Amber weather warnings
An amber warning for snow and ice is in force from 7am until 5pm tonight covering areas just north of Dundee, Perth and Stirling in Scotland.
There’s a second amber warning for snow in place from 7am until 12pm that affects southern Scotland and the Midlands.
It has seen Perth and Kinross Council cancel their annual Perth Christmas lights switch-on event for safety reasons.
More than 54 schools were also shut in the Highlands on Friday due to snow, with 27 closures in Aberdeenshire.
South of the border, at least 37 schools were shut in Devon, and three in Dorset.
Christmas light switch-ons being held in the Midlands including the Ironbridge lights switch-on, have also been postponed.
Over the weekend, these higher risk areas could see 75mm of rain widely, and potentially more than 100mm over the higher parts of South Wales and Dartmoor.
Rain warnings cover much of Wales from 6am on Saturday until 6am on Sunday, and south-west England from 6am on Saturday until 11.45pm.
Parts of Dartmoor and South Wales could even see up to three months worth of rain over the weekend.
Flood alerts
They have been issued for:
- Barnstaple, Braunton, Ilfracombe and Combe Martin area
- Bottle Brook in Derbyshire
- Chertsey Bourne
- East coast of Dorset
- Exmoor Rivers
- Ginge Brook
- Helford and Fal Rivers
- Lower Exe area
- Lower River Calder
- Lower River Lune and Conder
- Lower River Ribble and Darwen
- Lower River Tamar
- Lower Taw area
- Lower Torridge area
- Mid Devon Rivers
- Middle Exe area
- Middle River Aire
- Middle River Tamar
- North Cornwall Rivers
- North Dartmoor Rivers
- North Sea coast at Bridlington
- River Arrow in Herefordshire
- River Axe area
- River Calder in east Lancashire
- River Churnet and River Tean
- River Cober
- River Dart area
- River Erewash in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire
- River Fowey
- River Gowy and areas around Frodsham
- River Lowstock and River Yarrow
- River Lynher
- River Plym and Tory Brook
- Rivers Clyst and Culm and their tributaries
- Rivers Duddon, Crake and Mill Beck
- Rivers Kent and Bela
- Rivers Looe and Seaton
- Rivers Otter and Sid, and Exmouth area
- River Sow and River Penk
- River Spen and Batley Beck catchments
- Rivers Tavy and Walkham
- River Stour and Smestow Brook in the Black Country and South Staffordshire
- River Teign area
- River Yealm
- South Devon coast from Start Point to Dawlish Warren
- South Devon Rivers
- South East Somerset Rivers, Upper Reaches
- South Somerset Rivers, Upper Reaches
- St Austell and Par Rivers
- Tern and Perry
- Rivers Bure, Ant and Thurne
- Tributaries in South Derbyshire
- Upper Dove
- Upper River Aire
- Upper River Calder
- Upper River Douglas
- Upper River Irwell catchment with Oldham, Bolton, Rochdale, Haslingden, Ramsbottom and Rawtenstall
- Upper River Ribble, Hodder
- Upper River Swale
- Upper River Tamar
- Upper River Ure
- Upper River Wharfe
- Upper River Wyre, Brock
- Upper Teme
- Upper Torridge area
- West Cornwall Rivers
- West Dorset Rivers and Streams
- West Somerset Streams
- Weymouth Rivers and Streams
Flood warnings where flooding is expected
- Poaka Beck, The Yarl, Hagg Gill and Butts Beck at Dalton in Furness including Town Centre, Queen St
- River Calder at Central Todmorden
- River Calder at Hebden Bridge – Mytholm and Hebble End
- River Calder at Todmorden from the Cricket Ground to the Railway Bridge
- River Calder at Todmorden – Patmos Burnley Road
- River Irwell at Bacup
- River Irwell at Irwell Vale
- River Irwell at Strongstry and Chatterton
- River Irwell at Stubbylee Bridge and Stacksteads, riverside properties
- River Irwell at Stubbylee Bridge, Farholme area and Stacksteads, Brandwood Park areas
- Rivers in Accrington and Oswaldtwistle
- Walsden Water at Walsden
- Whitewell Brook at Piercy and Newchurch from Ashworth Road to Wood Lea Road
