WEATHER Strongest Jet Stream Ever Recorded To Bring Two Super Storms To United Kingdom Region This
Marthanoir
TB Fanatic
It's rattling the windows pretty bad but that's about it so far, still got cell phone signals to it can't be too bad 
Melodi
Disaster Cat
I went to bed at midnight when we lost enough bad width that I couldn't watch TV on the web anymore (we don't have a regular TV) wind is still blowing outside and expected to last until 6pm (it is now about Noon) so far everything OK here except Temps have really dropped, but not quite far enough for the snow expected in some places.
A lot of people maybe stranded for Christmas on one side of the water or the other, I hope the various cities like Dublin do something for those who are stuck, a few years ago during the major snow storms the airport tried to just close with no where for people to go, I gather the airport authority has been told that is not on, ever again. As it was, local people took some in to their homes and at least one hotel finally opened its doors, but it did not do a lot for the idea of "Ireland as the land of a thousand Welcomes"...but that was in the end days of the Celtic Tiger too.
Anyway, the real news in addition to travel disruptions (so far anyway) is the storm on Friday may be the second rare "Red Alert" (I gather rare because of the conditions, not because they just set this system up in Ireland) in nine days; it may hit at the end of the St. Stephan's Day (Boxing Day in the UK) Holiday (Dec 26) and go through the next day; again making a mess for people trying to get home for the weekend.
Meanwhile they have phone and electrical crews working around the clock - we still have power and the net (obviously)...
A lot of people maybe stranded for Christmas on one side of the water or the other, I hope the various cities like Dublin do something for those who are stuck, a few years ago during the major snow storms the airport tried to just close with no where for people to go, I gather the airport authority has been told that is not on, ever again. As it was, local people took some in to their homes and at least one hotel finally opened its doors, but it did not do a lot for the idea of "Ireland as the land of a thousand Welcomes"...but that was in the end days of the Celtic Tiger too.
Anyway, the real news in addition to travel disruptions (so far anyway) is the storm on Friday may be the second rare "Red Alert" (I gather rare because of the conditions, not because they just set this system up in Ireland) in nine days; it may hit at the end of the St. Stephan's Day (Boxing Day in the UK) Holiday (Dec 26) and go through the next day; again making a mess for people trying to get home for the weekend.
Meanwhile they have phone and electrical crews working around the clock - we still have power and the net (obviously)...
Marthanoir
TB Fanatic
Everything is good here too, in getting prepped for tomorrow's feast plus cooking up a stuffed duck to today's dinner before mass, it's still blowing outside and heavy rain, and this is Ireland so when we say heavy rain we mean it 
Didn't loose any trees, didn't loose power, and I've got Status Quo blaring on the stereo,
Yeah Friday looks set to be another humdinger, funny how Met Èireann are saying everything is normal, don't panic
storms like these are normal for winter, we're only noticing because it was such a mild autumn , 
yeah right
Didn't loose any trees, didn't loose power, and I've got Status Quo blaring on the stereo,
Yeah Friday looks set to be another humdinger, funny how Met Èireann are saying everything is normal, don't panic
storms like these are normal for winter, we're only noticing because it was such a mild autumn , yeah right
Melodi
Disaster Cat
Storms like this are NOT normal for Winter, well maybe today's is the way it is presenting in the Midlands but 90mph winds are not normal; they happen maybe every six to ten years; though they have been known to come in patterns; just like you can have years with bad snow, followed by another year with bad snow (or the often one year on, one year off) and then it may go away for a decade or two.
This is, I think, about the 4th or 5th Winter in 17th years I can remember storms like this and I can only think of a couple of times St. Stephan's Day Storm and the Christmas Eve storms that went on for days and caused as much damage.
The first one, which I think was Christmas Eve, our first year here; was comically funny in a Lake Wobegone sort of way - at that time the local radio stations sent everyone home for the Holidays leaving a weather forecast (and shows) on endless repeat.
So we would be frantically trying to get news and hearing over and over "Today's weather forecast is rather chilly with some rain and gusty winds - Happy Christmas" ...while the 90 mph winds roared outside, the trees kept falling, the power went out and the roads became death traps.
If you were lucky, you could get a channel a bit further away to hear from the Station in Limerick "static...static..and the roof has just blown off the Cathedral....static...static..." or my all time favorite "static..we now..have caller" voice of a very old man with heavy rural Irish accent "hello, hello, I wanted to report that the wind just picked up me chicken shed and blew it down the road, so if ye see a chicken shed walking down the road that be mine...static..."
After that stations were informed the government that they had to have some way to relay emergency information to people, even during the holidays - now most either have live staff and/or sign up for the RTE weather service etc.
By the second storm two years later (St. Stephan's Day) we had more information, though it wasn't perhaps as entertaining ...
This is, I think, about the 4th or 5th Winter in 17th years I can remember storms like this and I can only think of a couple of times St. Stephan's Day Storm and the Christmas Eve storms that went on for days and caused as much damage.
The first one, which I think was Christmas Eve, our first year here; was comically funny in a Lake Wobegone sort of way - at that time the local radio stations sent everyone home for the Holidays leaving a weather forecast (and shows) on endless repeat.
So we would be frantically trying to get news and hearing over and over "Today's weather forecast is rather chilly with some rain and gusty winds - Happy Christmas" ...while the 90 mph winds roared outside, the trees kept falling, the power went out and the roads became death traps.
If you were lucky, you could get a channel a bit further away to hear from the Station in Limerick "static...static..and the roof has just blown off the Cathedral....static...static..." or my all time favorite "static..we now..have caller" voice of a very old man with heavy rural Irish accent "hello, hello, I wanted to report that the wind just picked up me chicken shed and blew it down the road, so if ye see a chicken shed walking down the road that be mine...static..."
After that stations were informed the government that they had to have some way to relay emergency information to people, even during the holidays - now most either have live staff and/or sign up for the RTE weather service etc.
By the second storm two years later (St. Stephan's Day) we had more information, though it wasn't perhaps as entertaining ...
mzkitty
I give up.
53m
All departing flights from London's Gatwick airport to leave from South Terminal following technical issues caused by severe weather at North Terminal - @itvnews
read more on www.itv.com
http://www.itv.com/news/update/2013-12-24/gatwick-departing-flights-to-leave-from-south-terminal/
6h
Around 100,000 homes in the south of England are without power after storm, Energy Networks Association says http://t.co/UN6gLwoss7 - @BBCBreaking
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25498335#TWEET993805
9h
Scotland, Northern Ireland brace for Christmas Even storms; weather leaves 2 dead in Great Britain - @BBCNews
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25502730
2h
Photo: Plane damaged at Manston Airport in Kent due to strong winds - via @itvnews
All departing flights from London's Gatwick airport to leave from South Terminal following technical issues caused by severe weather at North Terminal - @itvnews
read more on www.itv.com
http://www.itv.com/news/update/2013-12-24/gatwick-departing-flights-to-leave-from-south-terminal/
6h
Around 100,000 homes in the south of England are without power after storm, Energy Networks Association says http://t.co/UN6gLwoss7 - @BBCBreaking
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25498335#TWEET993805
9h
Scotland, Northern Ireland brace for Christmas Even storms; weather leaves 2 dead in Great Britain - @BBCNews
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25502730
2h
Photo: Plane damaged at Manston Airport in Kent due to strong winds - via @itvnews
Attachments
mzkitty
I give up.
Sad. Not much info at the link, but there are other stories of animal rescues and pictures:
17m
Man who suffered serious injuries after jumping into a fast, flowing river to rescue his dog in Devon, England, dies - @itvnews
http://www.itv.com/news/story/2013-12-21/flood-transport-travel-christmas-weather-rain-wind/
17m
Man who suffered serious injuries after jumping into a fast, flowing river to rescue his dog in Devon, England, dies - @itvnews
http://www.itv.com/news/story/2013-12-21/flood-transport-travel-christmas-weather-rain-wind/
Melodi
Disaster Cat
UK weather: Three dead as gales and heavy rain batter Britain and cause Christmas getaway travel chaos
Terrible weather conditions have continued to bring travel chaos to millions hoping to get home for Christmas as storms batter the UK.
Three people died yesterday, thousands of homes have been left without power and road, rail, air and sea passengers faced sever disruption to travel, with problems continuing today.
A woman died and a man was seriously hurt in a car crash in Shropshire which happened in “difficult weather conditions”, West Midlands Ambulance Service said.
Five teenagers were also injured in a separate incident after their car rolled over in “wet and windy” weather north of Wolverhampton.
A woman was swept to her death in a small stream just metres from her home in Wales and a man died in a rain-swollen river in Cumbria.
A fourth body was found today in a stream by a dog walker in Telford, Shropshire. Police said it was not known how long the body had been in the water or whether the death was related to the recent weather conditions.
Hundreds of thousands of travellers are facing disruption as chaos on the road, rail, air and sea continues.
Many passengers are currently "in limbo" at Gatwick Airport following a power outage at the airport's north terminal, adding to the travel misery.
Those who arrived at the terminal for early morning flights were grounded as they tried to get away for Christmas, while the Gatwick Express train service was also cancelled.
The chaos was compounded by a lack of information and the closure of toilets, coffee shops, restaurants and other facilities due to the power cut, passengers complained.
From 1pm today, all the airport's departing flights will now be leaving from the South Terminal.
Graziella Vella, a six-months-pregnant make-up artist from Kilburn in north west London, was due to fly to Malta to spend Christmas with her family.
The 37-year-old said: "I am fuming and absolutely desperate - there has been no information at all and we can't make alternative plans.
"We're just hanging in limbo... at least if they said 'Nothing is going to happen, come back tomorrow', but there is no information of any kind."
A Gatwick spokesman said: "Due to the adverse weather overnight, Gatwick's North Terminal is currently experiencing significant power outages across some areas including check-in.
"This is causing delays to some departing flights. South Terminal is operating as normal.
"We are investigating the cause of this issue to ensure it is resolved as soon as possible and extra staff are on hand to assist passengers.
You can read the rest of this LONG article at the site - they just keep updating it and adding to it http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...as-storms-threaten-getaway-chaos-9020756.html
Terrible weather conditions have continued to bring travel chaos to millions hoping to get home for Christmas as storms batter the UK.
Three people died yesterday, thousands of homes have been left without power and road, rail, air and sea passengers faced sever disruption to travel, with problems continuing today.
A woman died and a man was seriously hurt in a car crash in Shropshire which happened in “difficult weather conditions”, West Midlands Ambulance Service said.
Five teenagers were also injured in a separate incident after their car rolled over in “wet and windy” weather north of Wolverhampton.
A woman was swept to her death in a small stream just metres from her home in Wales and a man died in a rain-swollen river in Cumbria.
A fourth body was found today in a stream by a dog walker in Telford, Shropshire. Police said it was not known how long the body had been in the water or whether the death was related to the recent weather conditions.
Hundreds of thousands of travellers are facing disruption as chaos on the road, rail, air and sea continues.
Many passengers are currently "in limbo" at Gatwick Airport following a power outage at the airport's north terminal, adding to the travel misery.
Those who arrived at the terminal for early morning flights were grounded as they tried to get away for Christmas, while the Gatwick Express train service was also cancelled.
The chaos was compounded by a lack of information and the closure of toilets, coffee shops, restaurants and other facilities due to the power cut, passengers complained.
From 1pm today, all the airport's departing flights will now be leaving from the South Terminal.
Graziella Vella, a six-months-pregnant make-up artist from Kilburn in north west London, was due to fly to Malta to spend Christmas with her family.
The 37-year-old said: "I am fuming and absolutely desperate - there has been no information at all and we can't make alternative plans.
"We're just hanging in limbo... at least if they said 'Nothing is going to happen, come back tomorrow', but there is no information of any kind."
A Gatwick spokesman said: "Due to the adverse weather overnight, Gatwick's North Terminal is currently experiencing significant power outages across some areas including check-in.
"This is causing delays to some departing flights. South Terminal is operating as normal.
"We are investigating the cause of this issue to ensure it is resolved as soon as possible and extra staff are on hand to assist passengers.
You can read the rest of this LONG article at the site - they just keep updating it and adding to it http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...as-storms-threaten-getaway-chaos-9020756.html
Marthanoir
TB Fanatic
I have never understood the mentality of people who will risk life and limb to travel when THEY KNOW how bad things are......
It amazes me how many tourists will go stand on the promenade during a massive storm surge, they're not only risking their own lives but the lives of the life boat crew volunteers who will go out to try and save them
Melodi
Disaster Cat
A lot of the worst affected were people already in transit - on international flights from places like Singapore or Australia - others were told the ferries were running and to get on the boats, only to be stranded at sea with terrifying waves or dumped a hundred miles from their destinations in France with no way to get anywhere.I have never understood the mentality of people who will risk life and limb to travel when THEY KNOW how bad things are......
I don't have a lot of sympathy for people who could just stay home, but the people told to go to the airport and then just stuck there - well I do understand - at least Ryan Air stepped in to fly home the locally famous mother of twin girls who had surgery - one got sick on the plane before it took off and she and her Mom had to go back to the hospital assured they could fly back later - only then the airline demanded all sorts of doctor's documents the local hospital could not provide - Ryan Air, usually the Bas....ds stepped in and became the good guy flying Mom and daughter home as soon as hospital doctors provided the NORMAL amount of documentation that they could fly.
I could never reproduce all the pictures in this daily mail article but it is very much worth looking at - includes reader photos http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...tmas-flood-risk-families-told-flee-homes.html
A few examples:
Possible Impact
TB Fanatic
ITV News @itvnews 2h http://twitter.com/itvnews/status/415479520229998592
Strong winds and heavy rain continue to cause disruption across UK
http://itv.co/1cJlXq9
WorldSevereWeather @WSWUpdates 4h http://twitter.com/WSWUpdates/status/415450403719749633
Wind gusts so far today in Europe in km/h. #Storm
Strong winds and heavy rain continue to cause disruption across UK
http://itv.co/1cJlXq9
WorldSevereWeather @WSWUpdates 4h http://twitter.com/WSWUpdates/status/415450403719749633
Wind gusts so far today in Europe in km/h. #Storm
Possible Impact
TB Fanatic
I have never understood the mentality of people who will risk life and limb to travel when THEY KNOW how bad things are......
keith livingstone @smokiewater 5h http://twitter.com/smokiewater/status/415435593917939713
Snowing quite heavily in Enniskillen.
My 81yo dad is driving down from Belfast. With his 99yo Mum.
mzkitty
I give up.
Melodi
Disaster Cat
I almost mentioned that the distances here tend to be shorter and very little will keep people away from "going home" for Christmas, also there is a certain amount of what I think of as "hurricane effect" you get in the US. Nearly every year they warn you travel over Christmas will be "bad" because this is the time of year for storms, and then it usually isn't THAT bad and people feel silly they didn't try. So every so often you end up with a year like this one when difficult travel conditions really means horrific travel conditions. Just like every so often a hurricane really does hit land and wash everyone away that doesn't leave.
Melodi
Disaster Cat
Again way too long and too many pictures but an article on Ferry Mess:
Hundreds of passengers stranded at sea for 16 hours as storms batter ferries in ferocious seas and injured people are airlifted to safety
MV Cap Finistere stricken off France because port too dangerous to enter
Passenger: 'Man next to us was airlifted on spinal board and a neck brace'
1,000 also stuck on P&O ferry in English Channel after Dover was closed
Twitter user said one attempt was aborted when winds reached 70 knots
By Simon Tomlinson and Wills Robinson
PUBLISHED: 09:58 GMT, 24 December 2013 | UPDATED: 15:32 GMT, 24 December 2013
Injured passengers had to be airlifted to safety off a ferry after it became stranded in ferocious seas on its way from Portsmouth to Bilbao, witnesses said today.
The MV Cap Finistere had tried to enter the port of Brest in Brittany, Northern France, but the waters were too rough.
Instead, the captain was forced to ride out the storm as waves battered the vessel before finally being able to dock, nearly 36 hours after leaving the UK.
The drama came as nearly 1,000 passengers were left stranded in the English Channel for 16 hours on board another ferry because it was considered too dangerous to enter Dover harbour.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...le-stranded-dozens-injured.html#ixzz2oPTTT56Q
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
Hundreds of passengers stranded at sea for 16 hours as storms batter ferries in ferocious seas and injured people are airlifted to safety
MV Cap Finistere stricken off France because port too dangerous to enter
Passenger: 'Man next to us was airlifted on spinal board and a neck brace'
1,000 also stuck on P&O ferry in English Channel after Dover was closed
Twitter user said one attempt was aborted when winds reached 70 knots
By Simon Tomlinson and Wills Robinson
PUBLISHED: 09:58 GMT, 24 December 2013 | UPDATED: 15:32 GMT, 24 December 2013
Injured passengers had to be airlifted to safety off a ferry after it became stranded in ferocious seas on its way from Portsmouth to Bilbao, witnesses said today.
The MV Cap Finistere had tried to enter the port of Brest in Brittany, Northern France, but the waters were too rough.
Instead, the captain was forced to ride out the storm as waves battered the vessel before finally being able to dock, nearly 36 hours after leaving the UK.
The drama came as nearly 1,000 passengers were left stranded in the English Channel for 16 hours on board another ferry because it was considered too dangerous to enter Dover harbour.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...le-stranded-dozens-injured.html#ixzz2oPTTT56Q
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
Shacknasty Shagrat
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you for the photos, Melodi.
Stay safe and God bless.
SS
Stay safe and God bless.
SS
Posted for fair use and discussion.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25502730
UK storm: Damage disrupts travel as more severe weather hits
24 December 2013 Last updated at 14:25 ET
BBC weather forecaster Peter Gibbs has the forecast for the Christmas period
Continue reading the main story
Related Stories
Storm disruption across UK Live
Power cut causes chaos at Gatwick
Man dies after dog river rescue bid
Thousands have had their Christmas travel plans disrupted and around 100,000 homes are still without power as severe weather continues in the UK.
Trains have been cancelled, homes and roads flooded and there have been long delays and cancellations at Gatwick Airport.
Southern England has been badly affected but the storm has been heading north, with Scotland bearing the brunt.
In Devon, a man has died after jumping into the River Lemon to rescue his dog.
Witnesses saw the 46-year-old enter the river before being swept away, police said, and he later died in hospital. The dog escaped unharmed.
There is an Environment Agency severe flood warning - which means a danger to life - at the River Mole at Leatherhead in Surrey, with already high levels of water expected to peak around midnight.
Footage of flooding around the UK
Just under 100,000 homes are still without power across the UK, with Kent, Surrey and Sussex worst affected, the Energy Networks Association said, after "notable collisions" along power lines during the stormy weather.
Power supplier Southern Electric said 70,000 of its customers remained without power, with West Sussex, southern Hampshire and Dorset worst-hit.
Some customers could still be without power on Christmas Day, it said.
Around 3,500 homes in the north of Scotland are also without power, mainly around the Deeside area, Buchan, Elgin, Wick and the Western Isles.
BBC Radio Cumbria are reporting that more than 1,000 homes are without electricity in the county. Electricity North West says there is a problem with overhead lines, probably caused by strong winds.
Continue reading the main story
"Cold and hungry"
Power cut
Anne Coleman and her 83-year-old husband from the village of Brenchley in Kent have been without power for 24 hours.
"The freezer was absolutely full," she said. "But now it's full of soggy food."
They had been preparing to host parties for friends and family.
Now, Mrs Coleman said, she was not sure what they were going to do.
She said her husband was "cold and hungry".
They have no means to cook food and one wood burner to heat the house.
"People have been very helpful and kind, but most of our neighbours are away or hosting big family parties."
She said that while she understood these incidents can happen, "there was no suggestion the power would be off this long".
Her power supplier has not given them any idea of when the power will be back, she says - and that is what has frustrated her most.
"I get the strong impression we will be off tonight and tomorrow as well," she said.
Meanwhile a firefighters' strike, running between 19:00 GMT and 00:00 in England and Wales, has begun.
Due to the serious flooding in Surrey and Kent, however, the fire services there have declared a major incident and striking firefighters are being recalled.
The severe weather is causing disruption at some airports. At Gatwick, a power cut at the north terminal left several thousand passengers stranded, with delays and 26 flights cancelled.
All flights due to depart from the north terminal after 13:00 GMT were moved to the south terminal, apart from those from British Airways.
The moved flights were being delayed by around 90 minutes, but those delays are expected to get shorter as time goes on. Flights scheduled to arrive at the north terminal would continue to do so, the airport said.
Around 90 flights are due to leave Gatwick on Christmas Day, and no delays are anticipated, although passengers are advised to check with their airlines before setting off for the airport.
Bristol Airport also reported some delays and diversions, and Glasgow Airport had some cancellations.
There has been heavy rain in Northern Ireland, with more expected, and winds in Wales have reached 78mph in Pembrey and 77mph in Aberdaron.
A power failure at Gatwick caused delays and cancellations A power failure at Gatwick caused delays and cancellations
The strong winds in Scotland could reach up to 90 mph in the west later on Tuesday, forecasters say.
Other than that however, so far the disruption in Scotland and Northern Ireland has not been as severe as was first feared.
Meanwhile, there has been widespread disruption to rail services:
Southern says some services are now running after an earlier suspension, but there is a replacement bus service operating between Gatwick Airport and London Victoria.
Gatwick Express services are currently suspended because of a landslip with an alternative available via East Grinstead but involving a bus
South West Trains says it is running a "very reduced" service but some lines are reopening
East Coast is running its Christmas Eve timetable, but with some delays
Virgin Trains is running an amended timetable
First Great Western says many routes remain blocked
The Cardiff Valleys, Cambrian Mainline and Birmingham International/New Street routes of Arriva Trains Wales are affected
Many other routes are also being hit by cancellations and delays, with people advised to check before they travel
However Robin Gisby, managing director of network operations at Network Rail, said: "Our stations are quieter now with most passengers safely on their way home."
He said engineers had cleared scores of line blockages and over 200 trees over the past 24 hours.
Network Rail had earlier said that in southern England the storm damage had been greater than that of the St Jude's storm in October.
Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted: "I'm across plans to get electricity to many without power. My thoughts are with them and those facing travel problems this Christmas Eve."
A helicopter caught this dramatic image of two light aircraft scattered and upturned at the Redhill Aerodrome in Surrey A helicopter caught this dramatic image of two light aircraft scattered and upturned at the Redhill Aerodrome in Surrey
Sturminster Newton, Dorset, pic Fire crews rescued drivers from their cars in Sturminster Newton, Dorset
A Mini is caught in flooding in Mallards Way, Maidstone, Kent The severe weather has caused flooding in some parts of the UK
Fallen tree Colin Miller took this photo of a fallen tree in Sutton, Surrey
Iford Bridge at Farleigh Hungerford Iford Bridge at Farleigh Hungerford in Somerset was partially submerged under flood water
Christmas Day ferry
Many ferry services are still disrupted, including services between Scotland and Northern Ireland, and the Isle of Man Steam Packet ferry crossings. The company has said it will take the unusual step of operating a Christmas Day sailing.
UK weather map
Met Office: UK severe weather warnings
Continue reading the main story
Travel news: Choose an area
In other developments:
Police have named a man who died in Cumbria on Monday as Simon Martindale, 48. from Lancaster. He was seen with his dog in the River Rothay in Ambleside at around 14:25 GMT on Monday but he was swept away by the fast-moving water. A woman also died in storms on Monday - in Gwynedd.
West Midlands Ambulance Service says a three-car crash that left a woman dead near Shrewsbury, Shropshire, happened in "difficult weather conditions"
Two sailors - one French, one Swiss - were rescued after their racing yacht was damaged by 30ft waves and Force 10 winds off Land's End
Fire crews have been dealing with flooding across south and west Wales, while investigations are continuing into the death of the woman in Gwynedd.
In Dorset, 30 people trapped in cars by flood water were rescued by fire crews
In Devon and Cornwall, several properties have been flooded, while some homes are without power
More than 6,000 homes are without power in East Anglia, hundreds have no power in Somerset, and 50,000 homes in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight have been cut off
A man is in hospital after being trapped under a fallen tree in St Martin, in Jersey
The London Fire Brigade says it received five times the usual number of emergency 999 calls - 853 in total - on Monday night, meanwhile a giant "snow globe" around a sculpture in central London has deflated
Because of the disruption caused by the weather, the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company will sail on Christmas Day for the first time since the 1970s.
Midnight mass services have been cancelled in churches throughout the southern Hebrides
Continue reading the main story
Weather information
Flooding at Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk
Elsewhere:
Met Office weather warnings
Environment Agency flood warnings
Severe weather Twitter list
Snow and blizzards
The Met Office has amber severe weather warnings for wind in Northern Ireland and north-west Scotland.
In Scotland, its warnings were upgraded to include the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the north-west Highlands, Argyll and Bute, Orkney and Shetland. Snow and blizzards are also forecast on higher ground.
Northern Ireland Electricity said northern and eastern coastal areas and exposed high ground were likely to be particularly affected.
The Environment Agency has about 150 flood warnings in place for England and Wales - signifying that flooding is "expected", and more than 250 flood alerts, where flooding is "possible".
Continue reading the main story
What is it like where you are?
Please send your pictures by:
Email: yourpics@bbc.co.uk
Text: 61124
Twitter: @BBC_HaveYourSay
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has about two dozen flood warnings in place but no severe flood warnings.
Have you been affected by the storms? You can share your experiences, footage and photos with us using the form below.
Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25502730
UK storm: Damage disrupts travel as more severe weather hits
24 December 2013 Last updated at 14:25 ET
BBC weather forecaster Peter Gibbs has the forecast for the Christmas period
Continue reading the main story
Related Stories
Storm disruption across UK Live
Power cut causes chaos at Gatwick
Man dies after dog river rescue bid
Thousands have had their Christmas travel plans disrupted and around 100,000 homes are still without power as severe weather continues in the UK.
Trains have been cancelled, homes and roads flooded and there have been long delays and cancellations at Gatwick Airport.
Southern England has been badly affected but the storm has been heading north, with Scotland bearing the brunt.
In Devon, a man has died after jumping into the River Lemon to rescue his dog.
Witnesses saw the 46-year-old enter the river before being swept away, police said, and he later died in hospital. The dog escaped unharmed.
There is an Environment Agency severe flood warning - which means a danger to life - at the River Mole at Leatherhead in Surrey, with already high levels of water expected to peak around midnight.
Footage of flooding around the UK
Just under 100,000 homes are still without power across the UK, with Kent, Surrey and Sussex worst affected, the Energy Networks Association said, after "notable collisions" along power lines during the stormy weather.
Power supplier Southern Electric said 70,000 of its customers remained without power, with West Sussex, southern Hampshire and Dorset worst-hit.
Some customers could still be without power on Christmas Day, it said.
Around 3,500 homes in the north of Scotland are also without power, mainly around the Deeside area, Buchan, Elgin, Wick and the Western Isles.
BBC Radio Cumbria are reporting that more than 1,000 homes are without electricity in the county. Electricity North West says there is a problem with overhead lines, probably caused by strong winds.
Continue reading the main story
"Cold and hungry"
Power cut
Anne Coleman and her 83-year-old husband from the village of Brenchley in Kent have been without power for 24 hours.
"The freezer was absolutely full," she said. "But now it's full of soggy food."
They had been preparing to host parties for friends and family.
Now, Mrs Coleman said, she was not sure what they were going to do.
She said her husband was "cold and hungry".
They have no means to cook food and one wood burner to heat the house.
"People have been very helpful and kind, but most of our neighbours are away or hosting big family parties."
She said that while she understood these incidents can happen, "there was no suggestion the power would be off this long".
Her power supplier has not given them any idea of when the power will be back, she says - and that is what has frustrated her most.
"I get the strong impression we will be off tonight and tomorrow as well," she said.
Meanwhile a firefighters' strike, running between 19:00 GMT and 00:00 in England and Wales, has begun.
Due to the serious flooding in Surrey and Kent, however, the fire services there have declared a major incident and striking firefighters are being recalled.
The severe weather is causing disruption at some airports. At Gatwick, a power cut at the north terminal left several thousand passengers stranded, with delays and 26 flights cancelled.
All flights due to depart from the north terminal after 13:00 GMT were moved to the south terminal, apart from those from British Airways.
The moved flights were being delayed by around 90 minutes, but those delays are expected to get shorter as time goes on. Flights scheduled to arrive at the north terminal would continue to do so, the airport said.
Around 90 flights are due to leave Gatwick on Christmas Day, and no delays are anticipated, although passengers are advised to check with their airlines before setting off for the airport.
Bristol Airport also reported some delays and diversions, and Glasgow Airport had some cancellations.
There has been heavy rain in Northern Ireland, with more expected, and winds in Wales have reached 78mph in Pembrey and 77mph in Aberdaron.
A power failure at Gatwick caused delays and cancellations A power failure at Gatwick caused delays and cancellations
The strong winds in Scotland could reach up to 90 mph in the west later on Tuesday, forecasters say.
Other than that however, so far the disruption in Scotland and Northern Ireland has not been as severe as was first feared.
Meanwhile, there has been widespread disruption to rail services:
Southern says some services are now running after an earlier suspension, but there is a replacement bus service operating between Gatwick Airport and London Victoria.
Gatwick Express services are currently suspended because of a landslip with an alternative available via East Grinstead but involving a bus
South West Trains says it is running a "very reduced" service but some lines are reopening
East Coast is running its Christmas Eve timetable, but with some delays
Virgin Trains is running an amended timetable
First Great Western says many routes remain blocked
The Cardiff Valleys, Cambrian Mainline and Birmingham International/New Street routes of Arriva Trains Wales are affected
Many other routes are also being hit by cancellations and delays, with people advised to check before they travel
However Robin Gisby, managing director of network operations at Network Rail, said: "Our stations are quieter now with most passengers safely on their way home."
He said engineers had cleared scores of line blockages and over 200 trees over the past 24 hours.
Network Rail had earlier said that in southern England the storm damage had been greater than that of the St Jude's storm in October.
Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted: "I'm across plans to get electricity to many without power. My thoughts are with them and those facing travel problems this Christmas Eve."
A helicopter caught this dramatic image of two light aircraft scattered and upturned at the Redhill Aerodrome in Surrey A helicopter caught this dramatic image of two light aircraft scattered and upturned at the Redhill Aerodrome in Surrey
Sturminster Newton, Dorset, pic Fire crews rescued drivers from their cars in Sturminster Newton, Dorset
A Mini is caught in flooding in Mallards Way, Maidstone, Kent The severe weather has caused flooding in some parts of the UK
Fallen tree Colin Miller took this photo of a fallen tree in Sutton, Surrey
Iford Bridge at Farleigh Hungerford Iford Bridge at Farleigh Hungerford in Somerset was partially submerged under flood water
Christmas Day ferry
Many ferry services are still disrupted, including services between Scotland and Northern Ireland, and the Isle of Man Steam Packet ferry crossings. The company has said it will take the unusual step of operating a Christmas Day sailing.
UK weather map
Met Office: UK severe weather warnings
Continue reading the main story
Travel news: Choose an area
In other developments:
Police have named a man who died in Cumbria on Monday as Simon Martindale, 48. from Lancaster. He was seen with his dog in the River Rothay in Ambleside at around 14:25 GMT on Monday but he was swept away by the fast-moving water. A woman also died in storms on Monday - in Gwynedd.
West Midlands Ambulance Service says a three-car crash that left a woman dead near Shrewsbury, Shropshire, happened in "difficult weather conditions"
Two sailors - one French, one Swiss - were rescued after their racing yacht was damaged by 30ft waves and Force 10 winds off Land's End
Fire crews have been dealing with flooding across south and west Wales, while investigations are continuing into the death of the woman in Gwynedd.
In Dorset, 30 people trapped in cars by flood water were rescued by fire crews
In Devon and Cornwall, several properties have been flooded, while some homes are without power
More than 6,000 homes are without power in East Anglia, hundreds have no power in Somerset, and 50,000 homes in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight have been cut off
A man is in hospital after being trapped under a fallen tree in St Martin, in Jersey
The London Fire Brigade says it received five times the usual number of emergency 999 calls - 853 in total - on Monday night, meanwhile a giant "snow globe" around a sculpture in central London has deflated
Because of the disruption caused by the weather, the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company will sail on Christmas Day for the first time since the 1970s.
Midnight mass services have been cancelled in churches throughout the southern Hebrides
Continue reading the main story
Weather information
Flooding at Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk
Elsewhere:
Met Office weather warnings
Environment Agency flood warnings
Severe weather Twitter list
Snow and blizzards
The Met Office has amber severe weather warnings for wind in Northern Ireland and north-west Scotland.
In Scotland, its warnings were upgraded to include the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the north-west Highlands, Argyll and Bute, Orkney and Shetland. Snow and blizzards are also forecast on higher ground.
Northern Ireland Electricity said northern and eastern coastal areas and exposed high ground were likely to be particularly affected.
The Environment Agency has about 150 flood warnings in place for England and Wales - signifying that flooding is "expected", and more than 250 flood alerts, where flooding is "possible".
Continue reading the main story
What is it like where you are?
Please send your pictures by:
Email: yourpics@bbc.co.uk
Text: 61124
Twitter: @BBC_HaveYourSay
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has about two dozen flood warnings in place but no severe flood warnings.
Have you been affected by the storms? You can share your experiences, footage and photos with us using the form below.
Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.
i had the misfortune yesterday of having to drive a long distance along the M25 during the storm, the water came down in absolute sheets creating massive spray and poor visibility, the amount of water from the skies has created flooding in many places especially in river valleys and low lying areas
however the damage overall is not too bad (famous last words) now we have the calm between the storms when hopefully the standing water will flow away
PS the weather in the UK even with such storms is nothing whatsoever like the extreme climatic conditions you have normally in the USA
we just have frequent changes of rain, sun depending mainly on the depressions crossing the Atlantic
however the damage overall is not too bad (famous last words) now we have the calm between the storms when hopefully the standing water will flow away
PS the weather in the UK even with such storms is nothing whatsoever like the extreme climatic conditions you have normally in the USA
we just have frequent changes of rain, sun depending mainly on the depressions crossing the Atlantic
mzkitty
I give up.
You Brits with your stiff upper lip -- "Oh, 'tis nothing, just a little puddle."
does it come across like that, honestly the extreme weather in the USA is much worse than experienced in the UK, these events in the UK are thankfully few and far between, famous last words, most of the time the weather is benign, mainly by the time extreme weather fronts hit the UK they have petered out, but not always
Melodi
Disaster Cat
I have seen weather in both Ireland and the UK that is as extreme as the US but it tends to be shorter lived and often more localized (though not always) I have experienced maybe three thunder storms here that were extreme but only one in 17 years that scared the heck out of me, and reminded me of a Kansas or Texas thata-blam (the light never stopped because the lightning was so strong, thunder shook the house and the horses ran round and round and round the field, it being way to dangerous for anyone to step outside and try to help them - they were fine thankfully). There was the one Winter where we had conditions that made Dublin look like Denver and once across to the UK by ferry had Cambridge looking like a total Winter Wonderland a la Wyoming; London with the heat Island effect looked more like Denver early in a storm but not socked in the way Dublin was.
But that was one storm, in one Winter, in 17 odd years; not every year like you usually see in Denver or even Sweden for that matter...
Wind events can be as bad as the US, but the tornadoes tend to be much smaller, F1 and F2's mostly - bad if they hit your house but nothing like the F5 that went over my Mother's house last visit (we were fine, it touched down further on).
Floods can be just as bad but again Richard is correct in that the sheer scale is smaller simply because there is less land to flood - the rivers are not the Mississippi, however they can still jump their banks and say flood downtown Cork or old creeks can rise to destroy downtown BodCastle in a few minutes. But even a full river flood only goes as far as that river to the sea, and the US just has a lot more river (not to mention even a lot more sea, Turtle Island being a very-very big place).
What you rarely see here in Ireland or the UK is the massive forest fires that can rage in the US, especially in West; you do get bog fires here sometimes and the UK can have issues during dry spells but you have to go to places like Greece or Spain to see real US style fire storms (at least during recent times).
Ireland and the UK also rarely get earthquakes, though both places have had them in the historical record the UK more recently than Ireland.
However, I would say that in 17 years most of the worst damage I have seen here wind or water related, followed by freezing weather and the rare heavy snow; with Wind probably doing the most sudden damage and water some of the worst over-all damage when dams or rivers burst out and create serious floods. We do sometimes also get the back-end of hurricanes but again they tend to not nearly be as "bad" as those hitting the US although 100 to 130 mph winds are 100 to 130 mph winds doesn't matter if you are in Galway or the Gulf of Mexico. But we don't tend to get the massive Category 5 monster storms with eyes, even those that did have them have usually calmed down somewhat by the time the ricochet back towards Europe.
But 17 years is hardly a lifetimes worth of experiences either, Richard has more experience than I do...
But that was one storm, in one Winter, in 17 odd years; not every year like you usually see in Denver or even Sweden for that matter...
Wind events can be as bad as the US, but the tornadoes tend to be much smaller, F1 and F2's mostly - bad if they hit your house but nothing like the F5 that went over my Mother's house last visit (we were fine, it touched down further on).
Floods can be just as bad but again Richard is correct in that the sheer scale is smaller simply because there is less land to flood - the rivers are not the Mississippi, however they can still jump their banks and say flood downtown Cork or old creeks can rise to destroy downtown BodCastle in a few minutes. But even a full river flood only goes as far as that river to the sea, and the US just has a lot more river (not to mention even a lot more sea, Turtle Island being a very-very big place).
What you rarely see here in Ireland or the UK is the massive forest fires that can rage in the US, especially in West; you do get bog fires here sometimes and the UK can have issues during dry spells but you have to go to places like Greece or Spain to see real US style fire storms (at least during recent times).
Ireland and the UK also rarely get earthquakes, though both places have had them in the historical record the UK more recently than Ireland.
However, I would say that in 17 years most of the worst damage I have seen here wind or water related, followed by freezing weather and the rare heavy snow; with Wind probably doing the most sudden damage and water some of the worst over-all damage when dams or rivers burst out and create serious floods. We do sometimes also get the back-end of hurricanes but again they tend to not nearly be as "bad" as those hitting the US although 100 to 130 mph winds are 100 to 130 mph winds doesn't matter if you are in Galway or the Gulf of Mexico. But we don't tend to get the massive Category 5 monster storms with eyes, even those that did have them have usually calmed down somewhat by the time the ricochet back towards Europe.
But 17 years is hardly a lifetimes worth of experiences either, Richard has more experience than I do...
OK weather
I have only even heard of a single tornado, it descended from the South Downs in Lewes Sussex in 1986 a year before I moved to the town, I was told about it, but it was a one-off event, however we had the great storm of 1987 the following year which devastated the south east of England, the effects were noticed for many years afterwards, in certain areas ALL mature trees were downed. That storm was absolutely extreme, you could see the effects of it even a decade later. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Storm_of_1987
It only damaged certain areas of the SE, other parts of the country were completely unaffected. It caused 2 billion pounds worth of damage.
In my part of the SE corner of the UK, the weather has usually petered out by the time it reaches the home counties, we do not get the extreme winters of the North and Scotland.
About 5 years ago Scotland and the North were completely frozen up, I spoke to someone in Edinburgh and he said the entire country was at a standstill. Winters in the UK have generally become more extreme over the past few years after many years of mild weather, this year it has been warmer than usual so far. Britain is a pretty wet country and has been a lot wetter this year, but the rain usually peters out in the SE, the main weather pattern is depressions coming across the Atlantic eastwards, they progressively dump rain from the West Coast of Ireland to the East Coast of England losing water vapour on the way, the East Coast is quite dry overall.
There can be storms and floods like everywhere else but these are infrequent but when they do come everyone is unprepared. The recent weather has produced quite a lot of flooding in Sussex but this is mainly confined to river valleys and low lying areas as you would expect. I had to repair much of my fencing from the gales we had about 3 weeks ago. Having said that i suppose the weather this year has been more extreme.
There are no Earthquakes in the UK except for the very occasional very slight tremor that may happen once every 30 years if that.
The winters as said have been getting worse but the snow and cold are not regular each year, again although they have actually bought some snowploughs one year I spoke to the driver of one when eventually after 3 weeks of being snowbound they reached the village I was staying at, Tilehurst, he said he was not allowed to use the plough on the front of his truck! Presumably it was against 'elf and safety PC rules, but they did spread some salt which is the only way they treat roads.
To summarise most bad weather is occasional due to temporary and unusual conditions, the UK has a mild wet maritime climate with frequent changes of weather during the day, it does not normally experience extreme continental type weather like the interior of the USA.
I have only even heard of a single tornado, it descended from the South Downs in Lewes Sussex in 1986 a year before I moved to the town, I was told about it, but it was a one-off event, however we had the great storm of 1987 the following year which devastated the south east of England, the effects were noticed for many years afterwards, in certain areas ALL mature trees were downed. That storm was absolutely extreme, you could see the effects of it even a decade later. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Storm_of_1987
It only damaged certain areas of the SE, other parts of the country were completely unaffected. It caused 2 billion pounds worth of damage.
In my part of the SE corner of the UK, the weather has usually petered out by the time it reaches the home counties, we do not get the extreme winters of the North and Scotland.
About 5 years ago Scotland and the North were completely frozen up, I spoke to someone in Edinburgh and he said the entire country was at a standstill. Winters in the UK have generally become more extreme over the past few years after many years of mild weather, this year it has been warmer than usual so far. Britain is a pretty wet country and has been a lot wetter this year, but the rain usually peters out in the SE, the main weather pattern is depressions coming across the Atlantic eastwards, they progressively dump rain from the West Coast of Ireland to the East Coast of England losing water vapour on the way, the East Coast is quite dry overall.
There can be storms and floods like everywhere else but these are infrequent but when they do come everyone is unprepared. The recent weather has produced quite a lot of flooding in Sussex but this is mainly confined to river valleys and low lying areas as you would expect. I had to repair much of my fencing from the gales we had about 3 weeks ago. Having said that i suppose the weather this year has been more extreme.
There are no Earthquakes in the UK except for the very occasional very slight tremor that may happen once every 30 years if that.
The winters as said have been getting worse but the snow and cold are not regular each year, again although they have actually bought some snowploughs one year I spoke to the driver of one when eventually after 3 weeks of being snowbound they reached the village I was staying at, Tilehurst, he said he was not allowed to use the plough on the front of his truck! Presumably it was against 'elf and safety PC rules, but they did spread some salt which is the only way they treat roads.
To summarise most bad weather is occasional due to temporary and unusual conditions, the UK has a mild wet maritime climate with frequent changes of weather during the day, it does not normally experience extreme continental type weather like the interior of the USA.
mzkitty
I give up.
18m
UK Environment Agency warns 'prospect of further properties flooding'; 2 severe flood warnings, 98 flood warnings, 199 flood alerts in place in England, Wales - @BBCNews
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25498335
UK Environment Agency warns 'prospect of further properties flooding'; 2 severe flood warnings, 98 flood warnings, 199 flood alerts in place in England, Wales - @BBCNews
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25498335
Melodi
Disaster Cat
Richard I would have to look up the year we were Prince and Princess in the SCA but that was the year of "Snow Ball UK/Ireland" and we took that amazing bus trip from a snow packed Dublin (it really did look like Denver, our friend's brother that picked us up took pictures because he knew his brother would never believe it having never seen anything like it himself outside of Poland or the US) - when we got to London, it was just light snow the sort you expect here but Cambridge and the site where the event was were a Winter Wonderland like an American post card. But then that was the same year we had at least a foot of ice on our pond and the Irish military had to start air lifting hay and rescuing people.
But the last known Winter that bad (at least in Ireland) was something like 1962, and the one before that I believe was 1943 or 1945 (same year as the Winter War in Russia and same basic weather systems). That isn't common though..
There have been at least five or six small tornadoes since I've lived here but a lot more hurricane force winds- there was a tornado in the UK recently that did some small damage, we had one here in Ireland about 10 years ago that destroyed a barn near our village.
It is much more common to have the Mini-tornado systems go over head, we were doing a demo at the Roscrea Gun and Dog show (spinning, Middle Ages clothing etc) when our Irish friends that had lived in Florida screamed get under cover, then I saw the sky turn "that" shade of green, then the hail started, then the sky turned black and the winds tore down some of the tends but thankfully did not touch down, then it passed over.
Driving home last Spring we saw an actual funnel tried to form, I showed my German roommate so would know what to look for, told her what to do if we couldn't out run it (stop, get out, lay down in the mud) but that it was far enough away we should be safe (and the wind was blowing another direction) of course it never actually touched down either.
As for earthquakes, yes there have been some historically in the UK, some pretty big ones but not recently - I'd have to check with my husband but there were a couple of real shockers in the Middle Ages, which seems like a long time to us but isn't much in geological terms.
Ireland is amazingly stable but has occasional tiny ones (had one a couple of weeks ago actually but not this far inland as it was ocean based and very small) but the UK (just like Germany) actually isn't; it just has been in modern times.
I went to
and most of the really big UK quakes are from the 11th century, there seems to have been a general upswing in quakes big enough to destroy Lincoln Cathedral etc (that's the one husband was thinking of) but they mostly have died down by the end of the 17th century.
So as far as prepping, if I lived in the UK, it is not something I would be very concerned about unless they started picking up for another round - I feel the same way about tornadoes, they are expecting possible tornadoes with this coming storm, everyone in the house knows what to look for and where "safe" probably is. Other than that, it isn't the big threat it would be much of the US and again the storms are much more localized.
I would say that in general the Wind storms can be as bad as I've seen in the US (and I've lived a lot of places there) the flooding and especially coastal flooding sometimes is (the Atlantic is a mighty ocean, where ever you are) but bad snow storms are very rare and very seldom reach US style levels and forest fires almost never (outside of Southern Europe). Earthquakes are very rare in the UK and Ireland (the last 500 years or so) it is really only storms that can pack a similar punch, once in awhile (and during the current climate conditions, which could change if there is an Ice Age coming).
But the last known Winter that bad (at least in Ireland) was something like 1962, and the one before that I believe was 1943 or 1945 (same year as the Winter War in Russia and same basic weather systems). That isn't common though..
There have been at least five or six small tornadoes since I've lived here but a lot more hurricane force winds- there was a tornado in the UK recently that did some small damage, we had one here in Ireland about 10 years ago that destroyed a barn near our village.
It is much more common to have the Mini-tornado systems go over head, we were doing a demo at the Roscrea Gun and Dog show (spinning, Middle Ages clothing etc) when our Irish friends that had lived in Florida screamed get under cover, then I saw the sky turn "that" shade of green, then the hail started, then the sky turned black and the winds tore down some of the tends but thankfully did not touch down, then it passed over.
Driving home last Spring we saw an actual funnel tried to form, I showed my German roommate so would know what to look for, told her what to do if we couldn't out run it (stop, get out, lay down in the mud) but that it was far enough away we should be safe (and the wind was blowing another direction) of course it never actually touched down either.
As for earthquakes, yes there have been some historically in the UK, some pretty big ones but not recently - I'd have to check with my husband but there were a couple of real shockers in the Middle Ages, which seems like a long time to us but isn't much in geological terms.
Ireland is amazingly stable but has occasional tiny ones (had one a couple of weeks ago actually but not this far inland as it was ocean based and very small) but the UK (just like Germany) actually isn't; it just has been in modern times.
I went to
So as far as prepping, if I lived in the UK, it is not something I would be very concerned about unless they started picking up for another round - I feel the same way about tornadoes, they are expecting possible tornadoes with this coming storm, everyone in the house knows what to look for and where "safe" probably is. Other than that, it isn't the big threat it would be much of the US and again the storms are much more localized.
I would say that in general the Wind storms can be as bad as I've seen in the US (and I've lived a lot of places there) the flooding and especially coastal flooding sometimes is (the Atlantic is a mighty ocean, where ever you are) but bad snow storms are very rare and very seldom reach US style levels and forest fires almost never (outside of Southern Europe). Earthquakes are very rare in the UK and Ireland (the last 500 years or so) it is really only storms that can pack a similar punch, once in awhile (and during the current climate conditions, which could change if there is an Ice Age coming).
Melodi
Disaster Cat
Well looks like we may get it over with sooner than expected...
http://www.independent.ie/incoming/ireland-braced-for-st-stephens-day-storm-29866015.html
Ireland braced for St Stephen's Day storm
* Met Eireann say storm expected to hit Ireland tomorrow afternoon, earlier than originally forecast
* Storm was originally meant to hit Ireland in early hours of Friday morning but has "sped up"
* Forecaster has issued an orange weather alert
* Feared that new storm will cause "disruption" and damage
* Weather for Christmas Day is "bright" with winter sunshine - but will remain cold with temperatures between four to seven degrees
Severe gales and heavy seas battered Portstewart on the north coast of Northern Ireland on Thursday.
Gales of up to 70 mph struck the area and waves swept promenades, with snow predicted to hit the north over the next few hours. Picture Margaret McLaughlin © please by-line SEE STORY 5-12-13 />
Severe gales and heavy seas battered Portstewart on the north coast of Northern Ireland. Picture Margaret McLaughlin
A storm with winds of up to 130kmh will hit Ireland tomorrow afternoon.
A spokesperson for Met Eireann told independent.ie earlier today that it was initially thought the storm would not hit Ireland until the early hours of Friday morning.
However, it has since sped up and is expected to reach the country by tomorrow afternoon.
Earlier today, Met Eireann issued an orange weather alert.
And they are warning of potentially severe disruption and damage.
“It will be another frosty night tonight and it will be cold but bright early tomorrow morning,” Met Eireann forecaster Harm Luijkx said today.
“But then the wet and very windy weather will push up from South West later in the day.
“It will be stormy again tomorrow evening – it will be happening earlier than we thought as it has sped up.
“The storm will reach us tomorrow afternoon or evening.
“There will be very high winds near the South West coast which will spread and this has the potential of disruption or possible damage,” he said.
The conditions will be similar to what we have experienced in the past week, and winds of up to 130kmh are anticipated.
However, it is a very different story for Christmas Day, with most of the country enjoying a respite from stormy conditions.
“Today’s going to be a much nicer day.
“The winds have eased off considerably. It is bright and dry in many areas today with some winter sunshine.
“It is a bit different in west and south west – there are some heavy showers in those areas.
“Most of the country should enjoy a bright day – but it will still be very cold and it will stay cold for the rest of day with temperatures of four to seven degrees.”
The St Stephen’s Day storm comes less than 36 hours after some 30,000 homes in the west of the country lost their power due to storm damage.
In the UK, people were evacuated from their homes on Christmas Day following flooding.
The storm conditions in the UK led to major travel disruption on Christmas Eve.
At least three people died in a number of weather-related incidents across the country.
http://www.independent.ie/incoming/ireland-braced-for-st-stephens-day-storm-29866015.html
Ireland braced for St Stephen's Day storm
* Met Eireann say storm expected to hit Ireland tomorrow afternoon, earlier than originally forecast
* Storm was originally meant to hit Ireland in early hours of Friday morning but has "sped up"
* Forecaster has issued an orange weather alert
* Feared that new storm will cause "disruption" and damage
* Weather for Christmas Day is "bright" with winter sunshine - but will remain cold with temperatures between four to seven degrees
Severe gales and heavy seas battered Portstewart on the north coast of Northern Ireland on Thursday.
Gales of up to 70 mph struck the area and waves swept promenades, with snow predicted to hit the north over the next few hours. Picture Margaret McLaughlin © please by-line SEE STORY 5-12-13 />
Severe gales and heavy seas battered Portstewart on the north coast of Northern Ireland. Picture Margaret McLaughlin
A storm with winds of up to 130kmh will hit Ireland tomorrow afternoon.
A spokesperson for Met Eireann told independent.ie earlier today that it was initially thought the storm would not hit Ireland until the early hours of Friday morning.
However, it has since sped up and is expected to reach the country by tomorrow afternoon.
Earlier today, Met Eireann issued an orange weather alert.
And they are warning of potentially severe disruption and damage.
“It will be another frosty night tonight and it will be cold but bright early tomorrow morning,” Met Eireann forecaster Harm Luijkx said today.
“But then the wet and very windy weather will push up from South West later in the day.
“It will be stormy again tomorrow evening – it will be happening earlier than we thought as it has sped up.
“The storm will reach us tomorrow afternoon or evening.
“There will be very high winds near the South West coast which will spread and this has the potential of disruption or possible damage,” he said.
The conditions will be similar to what we have experienced in the past week, and winds of up to 130kmh are anticipated.
However, it is a very different story for Christmas Day, with most of the country enjoying a respite from stormy conditions.
“Today’s going to be a much nicer day.
“The winds have eased off considerably. It is bright and dry in many areas today with some winter sunshine.
“It is a bit different in west and south west – there are some heavy showers in those areas.
“Most of the country should enjoy a bright day – but it will still be very cold and it will stay cold for the rest of day with temperatures of four to seven degrees.”
The St Stephen’s Day storm comes less than 36 hours after some 30,000 homes in the west of the country lost their power due to storm damage.
In the UK, people were evacuated from their homes on Christmas Day following flooding.
The storm conditions in the UK led to major travel disruption on Christmas Eve.
At least three people died in a number of weather-related incidents across the country.
no/yes it is changeable from hour to hour, occasionally we get big storms, we do not often get the extremes that you experience regularly in the mid USA
famous last words
Melodi
Disaster Cat
I would totally agree with the not often and one reason probably is because even with the usual stormy weather we sometimes get in Winters - it is unusual to have the clashing warm and cold fronts like the US gets every year in the Spring and Fall, especially in the Middle of the Country.
These storms ARE being caused by clashing warm and cold fronts and so while not as intense as some I have experienced in the US they certainly are up there with some of the worst weather I grew up with on the Pacific Coast, especially in terms of wind and wave damage.
Most Winter storms here are just Atlantic Storms that rush into an already moderately cold (but not freezing by US standards) couple of Islands, except for the rarer occasions when the wind blows "backwards" from either Siberia or Spain and we get "The Siberian Express" (often with snow and arctic conditions but more like Denver than Minot) or in Summer hot winds, very much like the Santa Anna Winds in California - hot and dry, this is usually the only time natural bog fires may happen here. This Summer we had what for Ireland was a heat wave (days and days in the 70's and nearing 80's) and our winds were in a long "backwards" pattern blowing up from Spain and Africa.
When that happens in Winter (rare) we sometimes get storms but more often "high" pressure areas that leave Ireland at least cold, crisp and clear or as the Weather man says "closes or diverts the Atlantic Storm door upward and over us" until the high goes away and the more usual Atlantic storms move in.
Once in a very great while, like 1987 (and the pattern was similar last week but not as bad) we get real hurricanes that have either just clipped North America or never gotten there at all before they swung back to hit the Island or mainland Europe with a one-two punch. The main one I remember personally (and I forget the year) was the one that took out trees planted at Versailles, most were hundreds of years old; last week's storm was feared because it was a very similar pressure pattern but while nasty, did not do the same amount of damage at least not European wide as the 1987 storm did.
So, Richard is right it isn't quite as bad (except for some of the storm damage) but that doesn't make it boring either; especially not in Ireland where the wind can really rattle your cage..
These storms ARE being caused by clashing warm and cold fronts and so while not as intense as some I have experienced in the US they certainly are up there with some of the worst weather I grew up with on the Pacific Coast, especially in terms of wind and wave damage.
Most Winter storms here are just Atlantic Storms that rush into an already moderately cold (but not freezing by US standards) couple of Islands, except for the rarer occasions when the wind blows "backwards" from either Siberia or Spain and we get "The Siberian Express" (often with snow and arctic conditions but more like Denver than Minot) or in Summer hot winds, very much like the Santa Anna Winds in California - hot and dry, this is usually the only time natural bog fires may happen here. This Summer we had what for Ireland was a heat wave (days and days in the 70's and nearing 80's) and our winds were in a long "backwards" pattern blowing up from Spain and Africa.
When that happens in Winter (rare) we sometimes get storms but more often "high" pressure areas that leave Ireland at least cold, crisp and clear or as the Weather man says "closes or diverts the Atlantic Storm door upward and over us" until the high goes away and the more usual Atlantic storms move in.
Once in a very great while, like 1987 (and the pattern was similar last week but not as bad) we get real hurricanes that have either just clipped North America or never gotten there at all before they swung back to hit the Island or mainland Europe with a one-two punch. The main one I remember personally (and I forget the year) was the one that took out trees planted at Versailles, most were hundreds of years old; last week's storm was feared because it was a very similar pressure pattern but while nasty, did not do the same amount of damage at least not European wide as the 1987 storm did.
So, Richard is right it isn't quite as bad (except for some of the storm damage) but that doesn't make it boring either; especially not in Ireland where the wind can really rattle your cage..
There have been at least five or six small tornadoes since I've lived here but a lot more hurricane force winds- there was a tornado in the UK recently that did some small damage, we had one here in Ireland about 10 years ago that destroyed a barn near our village.
there was a small tornado in 2006 that damaged a few houses in a north london street, funnily enough I noticed a tornado type cloud formation in the sky over Bracknell at a very high altitude perhaps it was the same weather formation
these events do happen but not on the scale of mid America
there was a small tornado in 2006 that damaged a few houses in a north london street, funnily enough I noticed a tornado type cloud formation in the sky over Bracknell at a very high altitude perhaps it was the same weather formation
these events do happen but not on the scale of mid America
Tornadoes that are a result of gust front winds (gutnadoes) or standing on/off shore breezes (landspouts and waterspouts) are more common than previously realized. Urbanization and new development have just made for more human encounters.
A "true" tornado is the result of a persistent rotating updraft that is sheared by environmental winds that differ at various altitudes. Add a rear flank downdraft, massive amounts of heat and humidity and maybe, just maybe, a long lived, destructive tornado will form.
The good news is that these specific conditions are rather rare and still not fully understood nor well defined. Especially as to why tornadogenesis occurs in some storms but not others. Also, in the bigger scheme of things, a tornado has a relativly narrow and short damage track.
I personally would be worried about the large scale, long lived wind/flooding events one encounters at the coastal regions.
The current UK storm looks like a real whopper.
A "true" tornado is the result of a persistent rotating updraft that is sheared by environmental winds that differ at various altitudes. Add a rear flank downdraft, massive amounts of heat and humidity and maybe, just maybe, a long lived, destructive tornado will form.
The good news is that these specific conditions are rather rare and still not fully understood nor well defined. Especially as to why tornadogenesis occurs in some storms but not others. Also, in the bigger scheme of things, a tornado has a relativly narrow and short damage track.
I personally would be worried about the large scale, long lived wind/flooding events one encounters at the coastal regions.
The current UK storm looks like a real whopper.
mzkitty
I give up.
This won't be fun. Hurricane force is 75 mph.
3m
Met Office warns of 90 mph winds tomorrow in the UK; Northern England and Northern Wales expected to be worst affected - @itvnews
http://www.itv.com/news/story/2013-12-21/flood-transport-travel-christmas-weather-rain-wind/
3m
Met Office warns of 90 mph winds tomorrow in the UK; Northern England and Northern Wales expected to be worst affected - @itvnews
http://www.itv.com/news/story/2013-12-21/flood-transport-travel-christmas-weather-rain-wind/