Storm Darragh smashes into Britain: Christmas events cancelled, football games axed and flights at risk as urgent ‘stay inside’ warning issued with 90mph winds and downpours on way

Published: 16:23, 6 December 2024 | Updated: 17:18, 6 December 2024

Storm Darragh struck Britain today as Christmas events were cancelled, football games postponed and flights deemed at risk with 90mph winds on the way.

The storm swept in across the Atlantic Ocean this afternoon, bringing torrential downpours set to spark flooding and travel chaos in parts of the UK this weekend.

Britons in the worst-hit areas were told to 'stay indoors' and strap down Christmas decorations as the Met Office issued a rare 'danger to life' red warning for tomorrow.

The 'significant disruption' warning from 3am until 11am covers most of the coast of Wales including Cardiff and Swansea, as well as parts of Bristol and North Somerset.

Two football matches in the Championship - Cardiff City v Watford and Plymouth Argyle v Oxford United - were called off because of concerns for supporters' safety.

Meteorologists said a period of 'extremely strong winds' will develop during the early hours of tomorrow morning as the low pressure system moves across the Irish Sea.

Forecasters told residents to 'stay indoors if you can' and 'avoid travelling by road during potentially dangerous conditions - it is not safe to drive in these conditions'.

Yellow and amber warnings were also imposed for other parts of England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, with those relating to the storm starting at 3pm today.

Flights could be delayed - with Ryanair warning of 'potential disruptions to or from the UK', and Jet2 saying: 'We plan to operate our flights as close to schedule as possible, however there may be some disruption should the weather deteriorate.'

Waves crash onto the tracks as a train travels on the line at Saltcoats in Ayrshire today

The red wind warning runs from 3am until 11am in parts of Wales and South West England

The Met Office has issued yellow, amber and red warnings across Britain tomorrow

Homeowners were urged to secure loose items outside their properties such as Christmas decorations, bins, garden furniture, trampolines, tents, sheds and fences.

The red alert, issued just after 10am today, also urged people to 'consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items'.

What does the Met Office red wind warning mean?

Here is what the Met Office has told people living within the red warning area to expect tomorrow morning:

Danger to life due to flying debris and falling trees
Large waves and beach material being thrown on to coastal roads, sea fronts and homes
Power cuts affecting other services, such as mobile phone coverage
Damage to buildings and homes, with roofs blown off and power lines brought down
Roads, bridges and railway lines closed, with delays and cancellations to bus, train, ferry services and flights

Red warnings are a rare event, with the last one issued by the Met Office just under a year ago on January 21, 2024 for 99mph Storm Isha - and today is only the 19th time in records dating back to 2011 that a red warning has been imposed.

Meanwhile a series of Christmas events this weekend were cancelled due to the forecast, including markets in towns such as Romsey, Hampshire; Taunton, Somerset; and Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire.

Elsewhere, the start of Bolton's 'Put Big Light On' lights festival was postponed, and an ice sculpture trail in Darlington was also put back by a week.

Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire said it will not open tomorrow due to the storm for safety reasons.

In racing, Sandown's Betfair Tingle Creek Chase meeting and the Boylesports Becher Chase fixture at Aintree tomorrow must pass precautionary inspections due to the threat of high winds.

Belfast City Council said on its website that the city's Christmas market will stay closed tomorrow due to the weather warnings.

Tomorrow, the Met Office said gusts of '90mph or more' are possible over the coasts and hills of West and South Wales, as well as funnelling through the Bristol Channel.

Exposed beaches could be struck by 'very large waves' amid the 'damaging winds', and forecasters told of 'danger to life due to flying debris and falling trees'.

There could also be power cuts, mobile phone coverage outages and 'damage to buildings and homes, with roofs blown off and power lines brought down'.

Vehicles make their way through floodwater on a road in Dunsden, Oxfordshire, yesterday

A car driver gets stuck in 4ft floods in Essex this morning after heavy overnight rain

A Land Rover Discovery driver makes it through floodwater in Essex this morning

A sunny morning on the Chelsea Embankment in London today before Storm Darragh hits

In addition, the Met Office warned roads, bridges and railway lines could be closed along with delays and cancellations to bus, train, ferry services and flights.

The Met Office [2] has also issued a 39-hour yellow wind warning for the whole of England, Wales and Northern Ireland [3] and much of Scotland, from 3pm today until 6am on Sunday.

And an 18-hour amber wind warning along the UK's west coast from South Ayrshire down to Cornwall, as well as in Northern Ireland, will run tomorrow from 3am to 9pm.

The deepening low pressure system will bring a 'risk to life and property', with Christmas [4] events such as light shows, trails and markets axed across the country.

It comes after a very wet and windy day preceded the storm, with a 'mini tornado' striking Clayton in Staffordshire at 5pm yesterday - and residents saying it ripped up grass and roof tiles amid a 'deafening sound' that was 'like a bomb going off'.

And a Loganair flight from Manchester to Aberdeen was forced to turn back after 30 minutes when lightning cracked the plane's windshield at about 4.30pm yesterday.

Meanwhile bosses at Amsterdam Schiphol, one of Europe's main airports, said they had cancelled more than 100 flights today due to strong winds caused by Darragh.

Motorists in the South West and North West of England were told to prepare for gale force winds, while some roads in Devon were deemed 'impassable' by flooding - and the Met Office warned gusts in London [5] could be above 50mph tomorrow.

More than 160 areas were on flood watch after the Environment Agency issued 104 alerts and 20 warnings for England; Natural Resources Wales activated 32 alerts and five warnings; and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency had 11 alerts.

Sunrise over the Somerset Levels on a calm morning today before Storm Darragh arrives

Pedestrians cross Westminster Bridge in the bright sunshine today ahead of the storm

In Staffordshire, people living in Clayton near Newcastle-under-Lyme were now assessing the damage after the 'mini tornado' hit their neighbourhood and uprooted trees.

One resident on Clayton Lane told Stoke-on-Trent Live [6]: 'A mini tornado just came through Clayton, it ripped our grass up, ripped the roof tiles off our neighbour's roof.

Met Office UK storm names for 2024/2025

Ashley

Bert

Conall

Darragh

Eowyn

Floris

Gerben

Hugo

Izzy

James

Kayleigh

Lewis

Mavis

Naoise

Otje

Poppy

Rafi

Sayuri

Tilly

Vivienne

Wren

'There's fence panels everywhere, I've never seen anything like it, the sound was deafening. We don't even know if our roof is ok yet.

'All the neighbours were in the street assessing the damage. A friend said they could hear the intense sound from far away near Westbury Park - like a bomb going off.

It lasted about 15 seconds.'

Around 30 minutes earlier about 100 miles north, a Loganair flight from Manchester to Aberdeen had to turn back after a lightning strike cracked the windshield.

The incident happened in the skies above Skipton in North Yorkshire at about 4.30pm, with the Embraer ERJ 145EU plane landing back to Manchester by around 5pm.

A spokesperson for Loganair said: 'Loganair can confirm flight LM26 from Manchester to Aberdeen was diverted back to Manchester following a lightning strike.

'The aircraft landed as normal and our team is currently arranging onward travel for customers to reach their final destination. The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is of the utmost importance to us at Loganair.

'We thank our customers for their patience and understanding, and our ground crews for their assistance.'

A beautiful sunrise over flooding along the River Parrett near Langport in Somerset today

A driver attempts to recover his van from floodwater in Levenshulme, Manchester, today

A beautiful sunrise in the Oxfordshire countryside at Dunsden today ahead of Storm Darragh

A car is driven through flood water in Levenshulme, Manchester, this morning

A tree down in Kidsgrove last night after a 'mini-tornado' hit Staffordshire at 5pm yesterday

Storm Darragh is the fourth storm to be named so far this season and the third in a fortnight - following on from Connall on November 27 and Bert on November 22.

First Met Office red warning since Storm Isha in January

Red warnings are a rare event, with the last one issued by the Met Office being 11 months ago on January 21, 2024 for Storm Isha.

And today is only the 19th time in records dating back to 2011 that a red warning has been issued.

Below is a full list of every Met Office red warning - all of the below warnings were for rain, wind or snow - apart from the July 2022 one which was for the 40C heatwave.

5 December 2011 - Wind
3 January 2012 - Wind
6 July 2012 - Rain
16 January 2013 - Snow
12 February 2014 - Wind
5 December 2015 - Rain
26 December 2015 - Rain
29 January 2016 - Wind
28 February 2018 - Snow
1 March 2018 - Wind/snow
16 February 2020 - Rain
26 November 2021 - Wind
17 February 2022 - Wind
18 February 2022 - Wind
15 July 2022 - Heat
18 October 2023 - Rain
20 October 2023 - Rain
21 January 2024 - Rain
6 December 2024 - Wind

The London Fire Brigade urged millions of people to secure loose objects outside their homes such as decorations, bins and furniture - and not to shelter under trees.

National Rail said the storm is likely to affect services across the whole network, advising people to check their journey in full before travelling as it may mean last services of the day are cancelled and passengers may not reach their destination.

It said speed restrictions could be imposed on some routes as a safety precaution.

Stena Line said the storm would be 'impacting' some sailings over the coming days, while Bristol Airport said disruption is expected.

Rhondda Cynon Taf, where between 200 and 300 properties were flooded during Storm Bert last month, is set to be hit by heavy rain once again.

Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud said the weather service is 'a bit concerned' about the risk of flooding in parts of Wales and Northern Ireland where there is 'heightened sensitivity' due to recent heavy rainfall.

Mr Stroud added: 'The wind particularly is set to be reasonably disruptive and potentially quite damaging.

'We are rather concerned about the strength of the winds affecting the Irish sea coasts and this is likely to have impacts on Irish ferry services. Trees could come down onto roads and people need to be aware of this and allow extra time for travel, especially in rural spots.'

Strong gusts are forecast to batter the country and the Met Office said the wind may cause disruption to travel, with difficult driving conditions likely.

Meteorologists warned that flying debris could cause injury or danger to life.

Welsh Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies has warned there may be very significant impacts from the storm and urged people to take extreme care this weekend.

'Red warnings are issued when there is a potential threat to life, and therefore it is essential that people in Wales heed the warnings and take very great care if they are travelling on Saturday,' he said.

'Welsh local authorities, emergency services and Natural Resources Wales have activated their preparedness structures in readiness for Storm Darragh.

I urge people to make sure they are aware of the warning levels for their local area and to follow all official advice.'

National Highways, which runs the UK's motorways and busiest A-roads, has issued a severe weather alert for tomorrow and has warned motorists in the South West and North West to prepare for gale force winds.

Storm Darragh was officially named by the Met Office yesterday and will bring 80mph gusts

The Met Office has issued a yellow wind warning for the whole of England, Wales and Northern Ireland and much of Scotland, from 3pm today until 6am on Sunday

An 18-hour amber wind warning along the UK's west coast from South Ayrshire down to Cornwall, as well as in Northern Ireland, will run tomorrow from 3am until 9pm

It said routes likely to be affected by the strongest winds include the M5 in northern Somerset, the A30 in Cornwall and the M6 in Cheshire.

Severe winds are already affecting travel in parts of the country with the M48 Severn Bridge in Gloucestershire closed last night because of gusty weather.

Storm Darragh is due to cross Ireland late today, then parts of England and Wales tomorrow, clearing to the east of England on Saturday night or early Sunday.

The Environment Agency said it was carefully monitoring the progress of the storm ahead of the weekend.

Katharine Smith, its flood duty manager said: 'EA teams are out on the ground and will support local authorities in responding to surface water flooding.

'We urge people not to drive though flood water - it is often deeper than it looks and just 30cm of flowing water is enough to float your car.'

The storm names are compiled jointly between Met Eireann, the Met Office and KNMI, the Dutch national weather forecasting service.

In the Netherlands, Amsterdam Schiphol Airport cancelled more than 100 flights due to the strong winds - with other flights delayed, some up to an hour.

'Due to strong winds caused by Storm Darragh, fewer flights are expected to take off and land Friday 6 December,' a spokesman said, urging passengers to take delays and cancellations into account today.

Met Office chief forecaster Jason Kelly said: 'The worst impacts from Storm Darragh will be felt as we go through the early hours of tomorrow morning and throughout Saturday with, in addition to the broad yellow warning, red and amber wind warnings in place from 1am tomorrow.

'In the red warning area, we could see wind gusts of up to 90 miles per hour along the coasts of west and south Wales as well as funnelling through the Bristol Channel, with some very large waves on exposed beaches.

'Although there is a lower likelihood of impacts outside of the red and amber warning areas this doesn't mean you won't see them.

'We are likely to see impacts across the whole of the country and people should keep an eye on the latest forecast details and prepare for the bad weather, especially if planning to be out and about on Saturday.

'Some areas are likely to have a relatively quiet start to Saturday, weather-wise, but winds will quickly increase from the west through the day.'

Drivers are encouraged to postpone journeys and park well away from large trees.

The Environment Agency has 104 flood alerts (in amber) and 20 warnings (in red) in England

RAC Breakdown spokesperson Alice Simpson said: 'A red weather warning is highly unusual and should be heeded as it can indicate a risk to life.

'With parts of Wales and the South West set to be battered by the wind between 3am and 11am on Saturday, we strongly advise drivers to postpone their journeys if they can.

'Anyone who must drive should stick to major roads, reduce their speed significantly, always keep a firm grip of the steering wheel and be on high alert for debris in the road.

'Exposed rural and coastal routes will be particularly treacherous. Drivers in these areas should be wary of any high-sided vehicles as they are at risk of being buffeted off course or, worse still, blown over.

'We also suggest parking well away from large trees due to the danger of falling branches or whole trees being uprooted.'

Dale Hipkiss, Duty Manager at National Highways, said: 'If you're planning to drive over the next few days, prepare in advance for the journey and take extra care on the roads. If weather conditions become challenging, adjust your driving behaviour to manage the conditions as safely as possible.

'It's also a good idea for drivers to check their vehicles, such as tyres, coolant and oil levels, before heading out to reduce the risk of breakdowns.'

And Professor Hannah Cloke, professor of hydrology at the University of Reading, said: 'Red warnings are very rare and indicate there is a very high chance that a weather event is going to happen with very severe consequences.

'Even people in areas where yellow and amber warnings have been issued should be aware that they could also be facing risks to their safety and their property.

'Don't be mistaken in thinking that a yellow warning doesn't matter.

This is going to be a dangerous storm which could lead to disruptive and dangerous impacts, including flooding, damage to buildings, and dangerous conditions on the roads.'

Met Office [7]

References

^ MARK DUELL (www.dailymail.co.uk)
^ Met Office (www.dailymail.co.uk)
^ Northern Ireland (www.dailymail.co.uk)
^ Christmas (www.dailymail.co.uk)
^ London (www.dailymail.co.uk)
^ Stoke-on-Trent Live (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
^ Met Office (www.dailymail.co.uk)