London, UK: Storm Ciarán has battered parts of south-west England with winds of 80mph and very heavy rain.
The United Kingdom’s national weather service (MET Office) has been updating Amber weather warnings across southern England. Hundreds of schools closed, and roads, flights, bus services, and rail routes have been disrupted.
The UK Environment Agency had issued 65 flood warnings and 156 flood alerts for England. Natural Resources Wales cautioned that river levels in the far southwest could reach historic highs. Additionally, approximately 10,000 homes in southwest England were experiencing power outages.
A heavy storm hit the Channel Islands on November 1, 2023 night. According to Jersey police, winds reached 102mph (164 km/h) by morning. Minor damages to the buildings were reported.
The UK Met Office spokesperson, Mr. Oliver Claydon, remarked that, “there will be very dangerous conditions on the coastline, large waves. We would urge people not to go near the water’s edge. Rain warnings are in place, there will be some very saturated ground, bringing an additional hazard.”
Yellow rain warnings for southern England, Wales, northeastern Wales, northeastern England, Scotland up to Inverness, and the southeastern part of Northern Ireland are in effect.
Ms. Kate Marks, flood duty manager at the Environment Agency, said that, “significant flooding” was possible.
“We advise people to stay away from swollen rivers and urge people not to drive through flood water as just 30cm (1ft) of flowing water is enough to move your car,” Ms. Marks added.
In northern France, the storm caused one fatality and left 1.2 million households without power. Some areas in Brittany and Normandy are on red alert due to strong winds, while the rest of the northwest is on orange alert.
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