UK Weather LIVE: Met Office issues warning for heavy rain after Storm Ciarán batters UK
More than 60 flood warnings are in place across the UK in the wake of Storm Ciaran[1] – while a yellow weather warning for rain has been issued for the entire length of the England’s south coast this weekend. There are 67 flood warnings in place along with 209 flood alerts[2] stretching up through the country, as of 10.30am. The south coast and the Channel Islands were battered with heavy rain and gusts of up to 100mph on Thursday.
The extreme weather looks set to bring downpours and strong winds to Scotland and parts of northern England on Friday night. Nearly 150,000 homes were left without power and by 4pm on Thursday, around 11,300 properties still had no electricity. Some 135,700 had been reconnected, the Energy Networks Association (ENA) said.
Speaking of the weekend weather warning for rain – which is in place from 5am until midnight on Saturday – the Met Office said: “A spell of heavy rain early in the day clears northwards but is followed by fairly frequent heavy and blustery showers. These are likely to be focused in some southern and southeastern coastal counties by afternoon, with thunderstorms catching a few locations. “Around 15-25 mm of rain will fall in some places but with perhaps 30 – 40 mm by the end of the day in coastal southeast England.
Additional hazards could include large waves and spray along some southern coasts.” And despite Britain being pummelled by he ferocious winds, just one fatality has been recorded in Plymouth this morning with a woman dying after her car was flooded. However, Storm Ciaran has now claimed the lives of 12 people in Europe, with one dead in France[3], one in the Netherlands and another in Spain[4] by falling trees as the deadly weather system smashed into the continent with wind speeds of up to 118mph.
A further five people were also killed in the Tuscany region of Italy after the storm trapped residents in their homes, inundated hospitals with injuries and overturned cars. The named storm – which first made landfall in the UK in Devon and Cornwall on Wednesday night – was initially estimated to be around 300 miles wide – roughly the distance between St Ives and Eastbourne on the south coast of England. Dozens of schools were also closed on Thursday, including in Devon, Cornwall and Hampshire – with some still to remain shut until next week.[5][6] This live blog has now closed.
12:27Bradley Jolly
Storm Ciaran clears most of UK as we conclude our blog
As Storm Ciaran has headed northeast over North Sea, we are recapping our blog coverage.
The extreme weather pummelled the UK but just one fatality has been recorded in Plymouth this morning with a woman dying after her car was flooded. However, Storm Ciaran has claimed the lives of 12 people in Europe, with one dead in France[7], one in the Netherlands and another in Spain[8] by falling trees as the deadly weather system smashed into the continent with wind speeds of up to 118mph.
12:03Joseph Gamp
Yellow weather warning extended across entire south coast this weekend
The Met Office has extended a yellow weather warning for rain acorssn the entire south coast, stretching from Land’s End in Cornwall to the White Cliffs of Dover. The warning is in place from 5am to midnight on Saturday, predicting more wet and miserable conditions for people living in Devonl, Cornwall, Dorset, HAmpshire, Kent and Sussex.
The Met Office warning says: “A spell of heavy rain early in the day clears northwards but is followed by fairly frequent heavy and blustery showers. “These are likely to be focused in some southern and southeastern coastal counties by afternoon, with thunderstorms catching a few locations. Around 15-25 mm of rain will fall in some places but with perhaps 30 – 40 mm by the end of the day in coastal southeast England.
Additional hazards could include large waves and spray along some southern coasts.”
Weather warnings 3/11/2311:44Chiara Fiorillo
The Met Office shares verdict on Storm Debi chaos
Storm Ciaran battered parts of the UK this week, causing flooding, travel disruption, fallen trees, and huge waves. There has been speculation that a new storm could be on the way once Ciaran clears after this weekend, but the Met Office denied rumours this new weather system will be named. Some forecasters noticed another establishing pattern “hot on the heels” of Storm Ciaran – and some have even tentatively named the new storm Debi.
However, the Met Office said they do not expect the upcoming bluster to be strong enough, and amount to anything comparable to what the country has seen over the last few weeks with Storm Babet and Storm Ciaran.
Shoppers brave the rain in Liverpool (Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)11:30KEY EVENT
The Met Office extends latest weather warning
The latest Met Office weather warning for rain has been extended and is now in place until 5pm on Friday. It covers northeastern Scotland, including Aberdeenshire and Scottish Highlands. A separate weather warning for rain for Saturday is in place for parts of southern England.
11:07KEY EVENT
Five confirmed dead in Tuscany due to the weather
Record-breaking rain produced floods in a vast swath of Italy’s Tuscany region as Storm Ciaran pushed into the country overnight trapping residents in their homes, inundating hospitals and overturning cars.
At least five people were killed, bringing the storm’s death toll in western Europe to 12 on Friday. Italian Civil Protection authorities said 200 millimeters (nearly 8 inches) of rain fell in a three-hour period, from the coastal city of Livorno to the inland valley of Mugello, and caused riverbanks to overflow. Video shows at least a dozen cars getting pushed down a flooded road.
Tuscany Gov. Eugenio Giani said five people died in the storm, which dumped an amount of rain fall not recorded in the last 100 years. “There was a wave of water bombs without precedence,” Giani told Italian news channel Sky TG24.
Italian Civil Protection agency said nearly eight inches of rain fell in a three-hour period (Claudio Giovannini/ANSA via ZUMA Press/REX/Shutterstock)11:06Bradley Jolly
Businesses suffer the impact of Storm Ciaran
Businesses across the country have suffered the brunt of Storm Ciaran. Images of destruction to beloved shops, restaurants and bars, among other premises, are being sent to Mirror.
One striking picture shows a desperate cafe owner try to sweep flood water away in Dorset.
Watch House Cafe in West Bay, Dorset, was flooded (Getty Images)10:50Bradley Jolly
Wooden planks speared into the wall of apartment during Storm Ciaran
Storm Ciaran has also taken its toll across Europe, particularly in France. Wooden planks are seen speared into the wall of a French apartment building thanks to Storm Ciaran. A local posted pictures online of the damage caused in western Brittany in the early hours of Thursday (2 Nov).
Yann Servais showed off the images on X (formerly Twitter) and commented: “Wooden planks literally planted by the force of the wind in the wall of a residence in Relecq-Kerhuon last night.” There were reports of the storm producing winds of up to 170 kph along much of the Northern France coast.
10:25Bradley Jolly
Train services continue to be affected by the storm
Train companies running services in the south of England, South Wales and North East England may still be affected following the impact of the storm. National Rail reminds passengers to check before they travel as problems have been experienced on the following;
- Caledonian Sleeper – amendments between Aberdeen and Euston
- Elizabeth line – Severe delays between Abbey Wood and Heathrow Airport / Reading
- Gatwick Express – Check before you travel
- Southern and Thameslink Great Western Railway – Check before you travel
- LNER ScotRail – Significant service alterations and cancellations due to trains and crew being out of place
- Transport for Wales – Services suspended on Heart of Wales line between Llanelli and Craven Arms via Llandrindod
- TransPennine Express – Check before you travel, especially on services between Newcastle and Edinburgh
Roads and railways have experienced issues due to the weather (Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror)10:11Joseph Gamp
Wildlife warning after baby hedgehogs washed from their nests by Storm Ciaran
Helpess baby hedgehogs were washed out of their nests by Storm Ciaran yesterday – and the ey now face a new threat as bonfirre night fast approaches.
Made homeless by the torrential rain, they are desperately seeking shelter and many will have crawled into garden and recreation ground piles of wood and leaves – not twigging they will be torched this weekend. The babies – called hoglets – were washed from nests as Ciaran swamped Britain this week. The ground is so sodden, rain doesn’t soak way and is turning the tunnels and burrows under piles of fallen leaves into death-by-drowning traps.
Hope for Hedgehogs, a rescue centre in Gateshead, has been ‘inundated’ in the last two weeks thanks to the almost non-stop rain. Spokeswoman Sandra Lowe said the centre is bulging at the seams after receiving at least 40 ‘hoglets’ from members of the public who had found them, weak and starving, after being washed from their nests.
(WESSEX NEWS AGENCY)09:44Bradley Jolly
Storm Ciaran sets new records, the Met Office says
Storm Ciaran has set a new record for the lowest mean sea level pressure recorded in England and Wales in November, with a value of 953.3 hPa (mb) in Plymouth – England and 958.5 hPa (mb) in St Athan – Wales. The previous record in England was 959.7 hPa (mb), set in 1916.
The previous record in Wales was 962.7 hPa (mb), set in 2010.
09:23Bradley Jolly
The Met Office shares details of Storm Ciaran’s track
Storm Ciaran is to move towards North Sea, says the Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern said: “Hopefully the worst of it is now easing at it moves away. “Ciaran is moving into the North Sea. “It’s weakening.
It is filling but it’s still bringing quite a blustery wind to many places.”
A family get a soaking as waves crash over the sea wall at Southsea (Peter Macdiarmid/LNP)09:10Bradley Jolly
Hundreds of flood warnings and alerts after onslaught
More than 300 flood warnings and alerts have been issued across the country as fears grows that a second official Met Office[9] tempest will follow Storm Ciaran[10] today and tomorrow. Bonfire and fireworks events on Friday night face being axed[11] as forecasters predict a washout – with Storm Debi expected to be named as the next deluge. There’s a severe flood warning in place for Wales, which concerns River Ritec at Tenby, Pembrokeshire.
Wales has four flood alerts in place. There are six flood alerts in place in Scotland. For the map, visit this link[12].
River Ouse has broken its banks in York (Andrew McCaren/LNP)09:00Bradley Jolly
Threat of flooding remains high in the south of England following Storm Ciaran
The threat of flooding remains high in the south of England as the UK feels the after-effects of the devastating Storm Ciaran.
Almost 90 flood warnings are in place with more than 235 flood alerts stretching up through the country, after the south coast and the Channel Islands were battered with heavy rain and gusts of up to 100mph on Thursday. The extreme weather looks set to bring downpours and strong winds to Scotland and parts of northern England on Friday. Nearly 150,000 homes were left without power and by 4pm on Thursday, around 11,300 properties still had no electricity.
Michael McShane walks through flood water on Market Street in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland (PA)08:50Joseph Gamp
Three fatalities in Italy see death toll rise to 10 across western Europe
After seven people lost their lives across Western Europe yesterday, a further three have been confirmed dead in Tuscany – bring the total numbers of fatalties on the continent to 10
Italian Civil Protection agency said nearly eight inches of rain fell in a three-hour period, from the city of Livorno on the coast to the inland valley of Mugello, and caused riverbanks to overflow. Video showed at least a dozen cars getting pushed down a flooded road. The dead in Tuscany included an 85-year-old man found in the flooded ground floor of his home near the city of Prato, north of Florence, and an 84-year-old woman who died while trying to push water out of her home in the same area, according to Italian news agency ANSA.
The other victim was reported in Livorno.
Italian Civil Protection agency said nearly eight inches of rain fell in a three-hour period (Claudio Giovannini/ANSA via ZUMA Press/REX/Shutterstock)08:36Joseph Gamp
Storm Ciaran in numbers
The Met Office have released the figures for Thursday’s weather as Storm Ciaran ripped through the south of England. In a tweet on Friday morning, the weather agency said: “Storm Ciaran made for a wet and windy day on Thursday. Here are the extremes for Thursday 2nd November 2023.
Check out ysterday’s extemes int he post below.
08:27Bradley Jolly
Severe flood warning in place for Wales
There’s been concern about River Ritec at Tenby, Pembrokeshire for several days now. It remains subject to a severe flood warning, issued by Natural Resources Wales earlier this week. A caravan park near Tenby evacuated residents yesterday and more intermittent showers are expected later today in the area.
Kiln Park’s parent company Haven said it had closed the site as safety was its priority.
Kiln Park in Tenby has experienced flooding (Media Wales)07:41Bradley Jolly
The Met Office shares today’s forecast at a glance
More showers are expected today – and downpours will sweep across most parts of the UK tonight. Forecasters with the Met Office say #StormCiaran[13] will continue to bring heavy rain and strong winds to Scotland and parts of northern England.
07:22Bradley Jolly
More schools and colleges closed today due to Storm Ciaran
Further schools across southern England will be closed today in the interests of safety due to Storm Ciaran. Mirror has published the full list, to its knowledge so far, here – it will continue to update this as and when information emerges.
For the full story, visit this link.[14]
06:46Bradley Jolly
‘Do not travel until Sunday,’ authorities warn some Brits
Some Brits are being warned not to travel until Sunday due to Storm Ciaran, with dozens of flood warnings currently in place and three possible tornadoes having struck the UK. A warning was issued by the Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (TORRO) last night, which said the highest risk of a tornado could be across South Wales to London.
Waves crash against the coast in Dover, Kent, which saw heavy winds yesterday (PA)06:37Bradley Jolly
Further dramatic Storm Ciaran images emerge this morning
Yesterday, lifeboats navigated through choppy waves off the British coasts, commuters braved downpours to get to work, and families trying to enjoy half term holidays got soaked by the sea. Huge waves crashed against the coast across the south of England too.
A family get a soaking as waves crash over the sea wall at Southsea in Portsmouth (Peter Macdiarmid/LNP)06:32Bradley Jolly
The Met Office confirms the extremes for Thursday
Two places saw rain fall of 37.6mm yesterday – more than one quarter of the average November’s rainfall.
Leek in Staffordshire and Middle Wallop, Hampshire, saw the most rainfall yesterday, the Met Office has confirmed. Meanwhile temperatures fell to below freezing in Aviemore in the Scottish Highlands.
05:52William Walker
Met Office gives verdict for Bonfire Night as Storm Ciaran could see washout
Storm Ciaran’s[15] aftermath threatens to put a damper on Bonfire Night[16] celebrations this weekend. Bonfire and fireworks events on Friday night face being axed as forecasters predict a washout with a potential further storm bringing several inches of rain to parts of the country.
Meteorologists fear the named storm which hit the UK this week may turn into a second – Storm Debi. If so, Debi will be the third named storm to hit the country in one fortnight – and the second in 48 hours. While there is no confirmation as of yet, the Met Office[17] has refused to rule out any further weather[18] warnings for the coming days.
05:26KEY EVENT
Dozens of flood warnings and hundreds of flood alerts after Storm Ciaran onslaught
The threat of flooding remains high in the south of England as the UK feels the after-effects of the devastating Storm Ciaran.
Some 80 flood warnings are in place with more than 220 flood alerts stretching up through the country, after the south coast and the Channel Islands were battered with heavy rain and gusts of up to 100mph on Thursday. The extreme weather looks set to bring downpours and strong winds to Scotland and parts of northern England on Friday. Nearly 150,000 homes were left without power and by 4pm on Thursday, around 11,300 properties still had no electricity.
Some 135,700 had been reconnected, the Energy Networks Association (ENA) said. A spokesperson said: “By working together in very challenging conditions, so far today network operators have reconnected 92% of customers affected by storm-related power cuts. “While difficult conditions remain, with violent winds forecast until the end of the day, teams from across the country are working together to continue to reconnect customers where it is safe to do so.”
A Met Office yellow weather warning is in place in eastern Scotland, with the threat of difficult driving conditions, flooding and delays or cancellations to train and bus services, and a small chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater. Floods minister Rebecca Pow said potential flooding risks remained across the UK with river levels still high, large waves at the coast and saturated ground. All schools on Jersey remain closed, with islanders urged to stay at home on Friday,
23:05Ryan Merrifield
Good night
That’s all for this evening.
The live blog will start again from 6am on Friday.
22:49Ryan Merrifield
Weather over the next few days
Storm Ciaran is set to come to an end on Friday, with the only weather warnings still in place a yellow one for rain covering the east coast of Scotland. Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist, Brent Walker, said “Once Storm Ciaran has passed, the weather over the weekend continues to look unsettled for many with more showers and rain at times. “Warnings will continue to be updated over the coming days, so it is important to stay up to date with the Met Office forecast in your area.”
Another yellow rain warning is then in place on Saturday evening in southern England. The Met Office says: “The strong winds will gradually moderate on Friday. Areas of rain will slowly ease across northern and northeastern areas.
Elsewhere there will be some sunshine and a scattering of showers.” For Saturday to Monday, it adds: “The north will have sunshine and showers on Saturday, whilst further wet and windy weather affects England and Wales. Mostly fine in the east thereafter, although blustery showers further west.”
Waves crashing in Dover, Kent (PA)22:28Ryan Merrifield
Huge waves crash in Newhaven
Waves crash the harbour wall in Newhaven (AFP via Getty Images)
22:18KEY EVENT
What weather warnings are still in place?
Storm Ciaran is slowing down, though it has left plenty of devastation in its wake after 24 hours of wreaking havoc across the UK.
Southern England has been hit the hardest, with a series of amber and yellow warnings issued for wind and rain by the Met Office. However, only one yellow warning currently remains in place until 6pm tomorrow. It covers much of the east coast of Scotland from around Inverness down to Jedburgh.
It states: “Heavy rain associated with Storm Ciaran could bring some disruption to eastern Scotland.” A second yellow weather warning has then been issued on Saturday across the south coast of England from Canterbury to Portsmouth. It’s in place from 3pm until midnight.
It states: “Frequent heavy showers, along with gusty winds, are likely to cause travel disruption and flooding of a few places.”
22:08Ryan Merrifield
Drone footage shows flooding in Downpatrick
Incredible footage shows the flooding in Downpatrick in Co Down, Northern Ireland. An emergency response continues there and a flooding recovery operation is under way in Newry and Newcastle, a Co Down council has said. Downpatrick, Newcastle and Newry were the areas in Northern Ireland worst hit by several days of heavy rainfall.
Some rivers in Northern Ireland were described as having reached record high levels as roads flooded. Police, firefighters, the ambulance service, councils and state agencies have been working with the Red Cross to support areas affected. A GBP1,000 payment has been made available to homeowners dealing with flooding through the scheme of emergency financial assistance (SEFA).
People are being advised to only start the clear-up of their property after the water has subsided and to wear protective clothing while doing so. Newry, Mourne and Down District Council has advised that an electrician should check electrical appliances and a Gas Safe-registered engineer should check gas supplies. Council chair Valerie Harte said the flooding had been “devastating” for some residents and businesses.
She said council staff had assisted with the distribution of sandbags for the use in constructing flood defences, as well as providing emergency assistance. “The council has also adapted its services wherever possible to meet the challenging circumstances,” she said. “Newry, Mourne and Down District Council is now providing practical assistance in the clean-up operation and is ready to play a significant role in the recovery phase. Recovery advice for businesses and residents will continue to be posted on our social media channels and can be found online.”
#Downpatrick #Flooding Market Street pic.twitter.com/Te2ymHdIZ8[20][21][22]
— Bowline Images (@BowlineImages) November 2, 2023[23]21:46Ryan Merrifield
Jersey Airport to remain closed into Friday
Ports of Jersey said Jersey Airport would remain closed to commercial flights into Friday because of extensive infrastructure, equipment and system failures.
“Ports of Jersey engineers have been assessing the damage caused by Storm Ciaran and detailed inspections of the airport estate have identified extensive infrastructure, equipment and system failures,” it said. “We are working to remedy the faults as quickly as possible, but until the work is completed and the airport is safe, secure and compliant, it has to remain closed to commercial operations. “We are striving to open the airport at 2pm tomorrow and a further announcement at midday will confirm whether this is possible.
“The airport remains open for emergencies and medical transfers.
“The harbour is functioning as normal.”
21:42Ryan Merrifield
Shoppers brave wind and rain in Liverpool
Much of the impact of Storm Ciaran has been seen in southern England and Jersey in the Channel Islands, though northern areas have seen unsettled weather too.
The below photo shows shoppers braving the wind and rain in Liverpool city centre.
Shoppers braving Storm Ciaran in Liverpool city centre on Thursday (Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
References
- ^ Storm Ciaran (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ 67 flood warnings in place along with 209 flood alerts (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ France (themirror.co.uk)
- ^ Spain (themirror.co.uk)
- ^ Dozens of schools were also closed (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ with some still to remain shut until next week. (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ France (themirror.co.uk)
- ^ Spain (themirror.co.uk)
- ^ Met Office (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Storm Ciaran (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Bonfire and fireworks events on Friday night face being axed (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ visit this link (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ #StormCiaran (twitter.com)
- ^ visit this link. (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Storm Ciaran’s (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Bonfire Night (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Met Office (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ weather (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ here (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ #Downpatrick (twitter.com)
- ^ #Flooding (twitter.com)
- ^ pic.twitter.com/Te2ymHdIZ8 (t.co)
- ^ November 2, 2023 (twitter.com)