Storm Chandra brings flooding and road closures with warnings across UK
As it sweeps through the UK, Storm Chandra has brought strong winds and floods to major parts of the UK. The named storm, which was the third so far this year, has caused road closures, ferry, and flight cancellations. Schools have closed down in some parts of England and Northern Ireland, where thousands of households were without electricity. Yellow warnings for wind, rain, and snow are still in place in areas of England, Scotland, and Wales, while an amber warning of wind is in place on the west of Northern Ireland, including Belfast. Storm Ingrid wreaked havoc on the weekend, and this latest weather front arrives just days after it.
According to the Met Office, rain in areas of south-west England is falling on already saturated ground, making floods more likely. Up until Tuesday morning, the area was under an amber rain warning. On Tuesday morning, people were rescued from 25 vehicles that became stuck in floodwater, according to firefighters in Devon and Somerset. Around 20 flooded homes were found across Devon and Cornwall, according to Richard Foord, MP for Honiton and Sidmouth, a figure that is likely to rise as river levels rise.
The River Otter in Ottery St Mary in Devon hit its highest recorded level on Tuesday, according to the Environment Agency. It's a raging torrent at the moment,
Jackie Blackford, whose house overlooks the river, told BBC Radio Devon, it's just
It's horrible - I've never seen anything like it.
fallen trees and floods along the network, blocking many routes. Due to rising flood warnings, localpolice have asked people not to travel in Exeter, as well as east and mid-Devon. Across the county, more than 40 schools have either completely or partially closed. The weather is expected to disrupt South Western Railway services until the end of the day, according to National Rail.Several roads in Dorset, Somerset, and eastern Devon have been blocked due to flooding, according to Devon County Council, who also reported
Areas of south-west England have already received one-and-a-half times their normal rainfall for January. This means that the ground has already absorbed a lot of water and will not be able to take more, causing run-off and floods. Dartmoor has already recorded in excess of 100mm (3. Jpg) in the last day. 9in) of rain. Heavy rain has now passed through southern Wales, but hundreds of flood warnings have remained in force in other areas of the country. Flooding is anticipated along the River Monnow in Osbaston, as well as at a number of other locations along the Afon Lwyd. The A40 was flooded between Abergavenny and Raglan, according to Gwent Police earlier. Schools in the West Midlands have closed due to flooding and flood warnings have also been in force for parts of Yorkshire. Rain is still forecast in south-east England, while the Met Office is warning of travel disruption due to rain and snow in a swath of northern England, as well as in the Pennines and south-western Scotland, where the wind mixed with rain and ice could result in blizzard-like weather. Up to 5 cm of snow has been forecast, but up to 20cm could rise on higher ground. Because of the snow, a section of the A66 between Bowes, County Durham, and Brough, Cumbria, has been suspended.
For several regions, particularly south-western areas of Scotland, England, and Wales, high winds are still a threat. On Tuesday, more than 10,000 homes in Northern Ireland were without electricity and more than 300 schools were closed, with potentially damaging winds of up to 70 mph predicted. On the Ards Peninsula, peak wind gusts hit 80 miles per hour at Orlock Head. Many domestic flights to and from Belfast Airport have been cancelled, while Scottish regional airline Loganair cancelled at least 12 flights on Tuesday. Ferry services between Belfast and Liverpool have been suspended, as well as several scheduled services from Belfast and Larne. The Electricity Supply Board (ESB), a UK body, said that around 20,000 households, farms, and businesses in the Republic of Ireland were without electricity. Storm Chandra was the third major storm to strike the United Kingdom in January, arriving shortly after Ingrid and Goretti, the latter of which was named by the Met Office as one of the most damaging to strike Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in 30-35 years. Skies are forecast to clear on Tuesday, but plummeting temperatures are predicted to pose ice dangers. On Wednesday, the Met Office issued yellow warnings for a large area of the United Kingdom, as icy patches are predicted to develop.
