More wet and windy weather on the way as Storm Fergus closes in after heavy rain brought by Storm Elin battered Britain and gusts of 75mph felled trees
- Widespread disruption from Storm Elin is still affecting parts of the country
Published: 10:45, 10 December 2023 | Updated: 11:12, 10 December 2023
The worst of Storm Elin has passed after heavy rain battered the country and gusts of 75mph felled trees, but the bad weather will continue as Storm Fergus approaches.
The Met Office[2] has warned Storm Fergus could reintroduce some gusty winds, especially in western areas, alongside further rainfall this evening.
The most impactful winds of the storm are expected to hit the Republic of Ireland[3], the forecaster said.
A yellow rain warning covering an area stretching from Carlisle to Sheffield was in place until 3am on Sunday morning, with as much as 30mm of rain falling on already saturated ground.
The weather has already caused widespread disruption, particularly in the north of the country, with trains cancelled, residents left without power and a car smashed by a fallen tree.
St Ives in Cambridgeshire (pictured) was hit by floods today in the aftermath of Storm Elin
The River Great Ouse that runs through St.
Ives, Cambridgeshire, broke its banks after the storm hit, leading to flooding today in the area (pictured)
A van became stuck in floodwater in over 4ft of water in Essex this morning
? Strong winds and ? heavy rain will continue across much of the UK this evening Here’s the highest 12-hour rainfall and highest gusts so far ? pic.twitter.com/9QnRvA9xUn[4]
— Met Office (@metoffice) December 9, 2023[5] 
The Met Office forecast for Sunday shows warnings for rain and windy conditions
The Met Office is monitoring the weather system, and said further weather warnings could be introduced for Sunday.
Heavy rain is expected in the evening as Storm Fergus sweeps eastwards producing 20 to 30mm, along with a risk of hail and thunder, the Met Office said.
The storm was named by the Irish meteorological service, Met Eireann.
The strongest winds are likely to hit south Wales and areas around the Bristol Channel.
Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said: ‘Strong winds will hit the south west of the Republic of Ireland before the storm makes its way further east tomorrow evening.
‘There will be some further spells of heavy rain, particularly in Wales and the north of England.
‘There could be strong localised gales, especially in south Wales.
There’s a chance we’ll issue a weather warning, but we’re still monitoring.
‘We’ll hopefully see a dryer and more settled second half to next week.’
People walk along the seafront in Doolin in County Clare on the west coast of Ireland as Storm Elin and Storm Fergus hit this weekend.
Pictured on Saturday
Dramatic footage, sent in by a passenger who was on a train near Piccadilly station at around 5.40pm yesterday, shows huge flashes of light and sparks coming from overhead wires
Cars couldn’t go any further on a flooded road near Ely, Cambs, on Saturday
Drone footage shows flooding in fields near Dorchester in Dorset on Saturday
In Manchester Piccadilly, a tree fell and damaged overhead wires, with trains cancelled
The bad weather could cause delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport, and coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities may be affected by spray and large waves, the forecaster said.
On Saturday, Storm Elin brought strong winds and heavy downpours to parts of the UK and Ireland.
Gusts of 45mph wind in Stalybridge, Tameside, brought down a large tree which smashed a car, caving in its roof and shattering its windows.
In Manchester Piccadilly, an overhead line ‘exploded’ in the storm, with one passenger reporting ‘large flashes of light and sparks’ coming from the wires.
A post on X by the operator read: ‘A fallen tree has damaged the overhead wires and blocks the tracks between Piccadilly and Manchester Oxford Road.
‘Engineers are on site assessing the damage and working to restore services as soon as possible.’
NorthernRail issued ‘do not travel’ warnings to due the disruption caused by bad weather this weekend.
The flooding caused a landslip between Yeovil Junction and Exeter St Davids, blocking all lines.
The operator told passengers not to travel between Salisbury and Exeter St Davids until Monday.
A number of roads are also closed due to flooding, including the M66 at J1, and the A679 Accrington Road in Burnley.
Residents in Formby, Merseyside, were left without power for several hours after a power cut affected the whole area at 5.30pm.
Saturday’s League Two games at Mansfield, Bradford City, Forest Green and Sutton United were forced to be postponed due to water-logged pitches after the heavy rainfall.
Fifty-three flood warnings were in place for England having been issued by the Environment Agency on Saturday.
The unsettled weather could continue into the start of next week, the Met Office said.
References
- ^ Emily Jane Davies (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Met Office (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Republic of Ireland (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ pic.twitter.com/9QnRvA9xUn (t.co)
- ^ December 9, 2023 (twitter.com)