Storm Debi: Brits brace for thunderstorms and “torrential rain” after 80mph winds caused chaos and 50 flights were canceled
Britons are bracing for thunderstorms and “torrential rain” after Storm Debi’s 80mph winds caused chaos and 50 flight cancellations.
There will be another very unsettled weather on Tuesday, this time in southern England, with thunderstorms and heavy rain coming from the west.
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The Met Office issued a yellow warning, saying: “A group of very heavy showers is expected to move quickly eastwards across the warning area, reaching the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall at 5am and then moving quickly eastwards into Tuesday morning .”
“Sudden torrential rains bring 15 to 20 mm of rain in a short period of time.
“The showers are likely to be accompanied by thunder and lightning. Wind gusts of 40-50 mph are also likely, as is hail.”
“The last showers in the North Sea should disappear late on Tuesday morning.”
Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said: “There will be a series of heavy showers from 5am.”
“We have seen some sudden downpours within this thunderstorm band, with 15-20mm of rain in a relatively short period of time, gusty winds and thunder and lightning.”
And there’s a chance it could get even wetter and windier later in the week, Dixon said.
A yellow weather warning for wind remained in place for north-west England on Monday afternoon – meaning buildings could be damaged and travel disruption was likely.
Severe storms caused power outages across the island of Ireland, leaving around 100,000 homes and businesses without power.
An Irish postwoman in County Limerick was hit by flying debris but was not seriously injured, her employer said.
British Airways said that, like other airlines, it had to make “a small number of cancellations” due to the bad weather, reducing the number of flights air traffic controllers are allowed to land per hour.
A spokesperson said: “We have apologized to our customers for the disruption to their travel plans and our teams are working hard to get them back on track as quickly as possible.”
Gusts of 77mph were recorded in Gwynedd, 74mph in Killowen in Northern Ireland and 68mph on the Isle of Man as the low pressure system moved across the Irish Sea.
The Met Office’s yellow alert for north west England, covering coastal areas from Liverpool to Whitehaven, was in effect until 4pm.
Wind speeds of 70-80mph were expected along the coast, with 60-65mph forecast for areas inland, as Storm Debi moves from west to east this evening, heading towards the North Sea.
People were told to expect flying debris, tiles blown off roofs, road and bridge closures, disruption to public transport, possible power outages and dangerous seaside conditions.
Yellow rain warnings were also in effect across much of northern England and north Wales, part of northeast Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Storm Debi marks the earliest point in a storm season at which the letter D in the alphabet was reached.
The storm season lasts from the beginning of September to the end of the following August.
The Met Office began naming storms in 2015.
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