Danger to life weather warnings in place as Storm Bram brings heavy wind and rain to parts of UK
Storm Bram is bringing heavy rain and strong winds to parts of the UK, with the Met Office issuing several “danger to life” weather warnings in parts of Scotland, Wales and south-west England.
Forecasters say the storm could damage buildings and cause power cuts and travel disruption tonight.
An amber weather warning – which means there is a “danger to life” from flooding or flying debris – has been issued for north-west Scotland, where gusts could reach as high as 90mph (145km/h) this afternoon. Winds of up to 70mph (113km/h) are also forecast elsewhere.
The amber rain warning also includes parts of south Wales and the south-west of England, mostly covering Dartmoor in Devon.
The forecasters said around 100mm of rain could fall in some locations with 50 to 75mm of rain expected across much of the warning area.
Elsewhere, authorities in northern Ireland have begun flood preparations amid concerns that rivers could overflow. Stay with us as we bring you the latest from the storm.
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Dozens of flights – mainly Aer Lingus ones – have been cancelled to and from Belfast and Dublin to airports across Britain, the BBC is reporting.
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Despite the adverse weather conditions being brought by the storm, schools will remain open across Northern Ireland, its education authority has said.
The education authority instead urged school leaders to monitor and assess the weather warnings in their areas and take local decisions “if necessary”.
It said schools situated in or close to the amber warning affecting parts of Antrim, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone from 2pm should be mindful of the risks of high winds, power outages, damage to buildings, and significant disruption to transport services.
As a reminder, a yellow wind warning is in place across Northern Ireland, until 22:00. A separate amber wind warning will cover western Northern Ireland from between 14:00 and 19:00 today.
Amber warnings are associated with more serious disruption to things like transport and power, and bring a higher likelihood of damage to buildings.
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Updated at 13.26 CET
The M48 Severn Bridge, which links England and Wales, has been closed in both directions because of strong winds, National Highways says.
Explaining the closure, National Highways said:
During windy conditions the Severn Estuary can funnel strong gusts across the bridges, which can be hazardous to traffic.
The M4 Prince of Wales Bridge has barriers which reduce the effects of these gusts. However, the older design of the M48 Severn Bridge didn’t include these barriers, and we sometimes need to restrict access to the Severn Bridge for the safety of our road users. When this happens, traffic is diverted on to the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge.
We use dedicated forecasts and monitoring equipment on the bridge, which are more useful than forecasts found in the media and wind speeds measured in neighbouring communities.
When we expect gusts above 40 knots (46mph), we close the Severn Bridge to all traffic until the wind speeds have dropped.
If wind speeds exceed 70 knots (80mph), both bridges are closed. Traffic can still travel between England and Wales by following a diversion using the M5, M50, A40 and A449.
The M48 Severn Bridge has been closed in both directions due to strong winds. Photograph: Zoe Head-Thomas/PAShare
Updated at 13.12 CET
Ulster University has said it will be closing its Coleraine and Derry~Londonderry campuses from 1pm today due to the adverse weather conditions caused by Storm Bram, but noted that its Belfast campus will remain open.
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Here are some of the latest images being sent to us over the newswires:
A van drives through deep flood water on Litton Lane at Burton Bradstock in Dorset. Photograph: Graham Hunt/Alamy Live News/Alamy Live News.Large waves whipped up by Storm Bram crash against the historic Cobb harbour wall at Lyme Regis in Dorset. Photograph: Graham Hunt/Alamy Live News/Alamy Live News.Waves batter the coastline at Dawlish, Devon. Photograph: William Dax/SWNSShare
Nearly 80 flood warnings in place as Storm Bram sweeps the UK
There are nearly 80 flood warnings in place as Storm Bram sweeps across large parts of the UK, bringing with it heavy rain and strong gusts.
In England there are 40 flood warnings, 25 in Scotland and 13 in Wales, meaning flooding is expected in these areas.
There are no severe flood warnings in place, which is flooding that could cause danger to life and significant disruption to communities
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West coast ferry operator CalMac says all 30 of its ferry routes have been affected by cancellations or disruptions due to the weather (13 cancellations; 17 “disruptions” or “possible disruptions”). You can see the affected services here.
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Updated at 11.24 CET
Thousands of homes without power, National Grid says
As of 9.40am, the National Grid said it had 3,303 properties without power across its regions: the Midlands, south-west of England and south Wales.
It is difficult to say how many of the outages were caused directly by the storm as it is understood that some of these faults are not related to the weather.
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We have some more updates on the disruptions caused by the weather conditions to train services in Scotland:
Rail services between Fort William and Mallaig will be suspended from 4pm and between Dingwall and Kyle of Lochalsh from 5pm, due to the forecast extreme winds.
From Tuesday morning trains have been running at reduced speeds on parts of the West Coast Main Line and routes between Glasgow, Ayrshire, and Dumfries and Galloway due to heavy rainfall.
Network Rail Scotland said that from Tuesday afternoon there will be speed restrictions on the Mallaig Line, Oban Line, and West Highland Line, which will remain in place into Wednesday morning.
From Tuesday evening there will be similar limits on the Far North Line and sections of the Highland Main Line and Aberdeen-Inverness route, continuing until tomorrow morning.
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Devon and Cornwall police has asked people only to travel if absolutely necessary.
It said:
We’re already receiving lots of calls about incidents on roads across Devon and Cornwall this morning. Please only travel if absolutely necessary; drive at an appropriate speed and allow extra distance between other vehicles.
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Why has extreme rainfall become more common – and what factors affect flooding?
Steven Morris
Extreme rainfall is more common and more intense because of human-caused climate breakdown, particularly in Europe, most of Asia, central and eastern North America, and parts of South America, Africa and Australia. Warmer air can hold more water vapour.
Flooding has most probably become more frequent and severe in these locations as a result but is also affected by human factors such as the existence of flood defences and land use.
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A section of the M66 in Greater Manchester is closed southbound between the A56/A676 (Edenfield) and J1 (Walmersley) due to flooding and a multi-vehicle crash, according to National Highways.
National Highways says there is “significant … barrier damage” to the central reservation due to the collision, adding that response teams are at the scene trying to clear the flood water.
People are being advised to plan ahead, and think about re-routing or even cancelling their journeys if possible.
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Steven Morris is a reporter for the Guardian
Flooding on the track at Chipping Sodbury in South Gloucestershire means rail travellers face delays and crowded trains on one of the main routes between London, south-west England and south Wales.
In other news, Devon and Somerset fire and rescue service plucked two people from the roof of their car after it became stranded in floodwater at 6.45am in the village of Teigngrace on the River Teign near Newton Abbot. Both people were “safe and well”.
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River levels in York are high and are expected to remain so throughout the day, according to an update from the Environment Agency, with the River Ouse beginning to flood as it overflows after a period of heavy rainfall.
Here are some of the latest images being sent to us over the newswires showing flooded streets near the river:
River levels in York remain high and are expected to stay elevated throughout Tuesday. Photograph: Danny Lawson/PAFlooding in York amid warnings that some homes and businesses are likely to be flooded and potentially damaged, while some communities could be cut off due to flooded roads. Photograph: Danny Lawson/PAShare
The Met Office regularly issues/updates weather warnings. You can keep up to track with the latest weather warnings from the forecaster here, and the latest flood warnings here.
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Fresh amber wind warning issued for parts of Northern Ireland, with gusts of up to 80mph
The Met Office has issued a fresh amber wind warning for parts of Northern Ireland, which could cause power cuts, damage to buildings/homes, the closure of roads, bridges and railway lines, and can result in “danger to life” due to flying debris.
With all of Northern Ireland already covered by a yellow warning until 22:00 GMT this evening, the amber wind warning covers counties Antrim, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone between 14:00 and 19:00.
The Met Office said in its update:
Winds are expected to increase further through the afternoon and early evening as Storm Bram tracks to the north of Northern Ireland.
Southerly winds, becoming southwesterly during this period, within the amber warning area may increase to gust 60-70 mph with a chance of 80 mph or more around coasts and over hills for 2-3 hours, before dropping again.
However, winds will continue to be very strong for some time after the amber warning expires, with the yellow warning continuing until 2200.
The forecaster advises people to check bus and train timetables ahead of their journeys, make sure road conditions are safe if they are driving, consider gathering torches and batteries if at risk of a power cut and take care walking near cliffs if by the coast.
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Updated at 10.35 CET
Storm Bram causes travel disruption and delays for rail users
National Rail has issued updates to passengers this morning, informing them of disruptions caused by the storm. Here are some of the main ones from its website:
– Wales: Flooding between Pontypridd and Tonypandy means train services running through these stations will be cancelled, National Rail says, adding that limited “road transport” is running between Pontypridd and Tonypandy at no extra cost. Disruption on the route is expected to continue until 09:00. There is also disruption to the service between London Paddington and south Wales (will be an hourly – not half-hourly – service today).
– Scotland: These routes are currently affected by the storm:
Glasgow Central and Carlisle until 14:00
Kilmarnock/Ayr and Stranraer until 14:00
Kilmarnock and Girvan until 14:00
Glasgow Central and Kilmarnock until 15:00
The following routes will be affected later today:
Kyle of Lochalsh and Inverness from 17:00 until the end of the day
Inverness and Edinburgh/Glasgow Queen Street from 18:00 until 08:00 tomorrow morning
Wick and Inverness from 20:00 until 09:00 tomorrow
Inverness and Aberdeen from 20:00 until 08:00 tomorrow
– England: Flooding between Swindon and Bristol Parkway means trains along the line may be cancelled, delayed by up to 25 minutes or diverted. This disruption is expected until the end of the day.
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Updated at 10.36 CET
Danger to life weather warnings in place as Storm Bram brings heavy wind and rain to parts of UK
Storm Bram is bringing heavy rain and strong winds to parts of the UK, with the Met Office issuing several “danger to life” weather warnings in parts of Scotland, Wales and south-west England.
Forecasters say the storm could damage buildings and cause power cuts and travel disruption tonight.
An amber weather warning – which means there is a “danger to life” from flooding or flying debris – has been issued for north-west Scotland, where gusts could reach as high as 90mph (145km/h) this afternoon. Winds of up to 70mph (113km/h) are also forecast elsewhere.
The amber rain warning also includes parts of south Wales and the south-west of England, mostly covering Dartmoor in Devon.
The forecasters said around 100mm of rain could fall in some locations with 50 to 75mm of rain expected across much of the warning area.
Elsewhere, authorities in northern Ireland have begun flood preparations amid concerns that rivers could overflow. Stay with us as we bring you the latest from the storm.
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