UK issues orange warning as storm batters northern regions
Orange Met Office alert for strong winds and heavy rain covers Scotland and northern England; flood warnings and transport disruptions reported.
The United Kingdom has issued an orange weather warning as a storm brings torrential rain and strong winds across northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with gusts reportedly reaching up to 128 km/h.
Hundreds of homes in southwest England experienced power problems yesterday. The National Grid said 131,225 properties were affected during the night.
The Met Office placed the whole of Scotland and large parts of northern England — as far south as Carlisle — under an orange warning for strong winds, its second-highest level of alert, in force until 21:00 today.
Flood alerts and safety advice
The Met Office warned the conditions could be life-threatening and urged people to stay indoors where possible. The Environment Agency issued 66 flood warnings across England.
Scottish Environment Protection Agency reported that 30 flood warnings were in force from 05:00 this morning.
Several flights at Dublin Airport were cancelled. A planned light show in Liverpool has been called off, some events in London were cancelled, and a number of tourist attractions have closed as the storm moves through.
Photo: press material from the event
