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A second person has died after their car was struck by a falling tree as Storm Eowyn battered the UK with hurricane-force winds.
A 19-year-old died has died in hospital after a road collision at 6:45am on Friday in East Ayrshire, after 20-year-old Kacper Dudek was named as the storm’s first victim in Ireland’s County Donegal.
Weather warnings have now been extended through until Tuesday as a frosty blast named Storm Herminia by European meteorlogists strikes parts of the UK, just two days after Storm Eowyn brought record-breaking wind speeds of up to 100mph.
As Storm Herminia brought thunderstorms and winds of up to 82mph in Cornwall on Sunday morning, the Environment Agency issued more than 30 flood alerts across southern England, including one more severe flood warning, as forecasters warn of up to 80mm of rain in some areas.
Parts of the country still reeling from the damage caused by Storm Eowyn on Friday, described as “unprecedented on every level” by Northern Ireland’s first minister, after it knocked out power to more than a million properties and rendered swathes of the rail network unusable.
Watch: Workers cut through fallen trees after Storm Eowyn
Power cuts and rail line closure in Cornwall as Storm Herminia hits
As Herminia made landfall, the BBC cited the National Grid as saying that more than 4,500 properties in Devon and Cornwall had suffered power cuts.
Flooding also blocked the rail line between Par and Newquay, National Rail said.
Met Office says weather to remain wet and windy until Wednesday
In its outlook for Tuesday to Thursday, the Met Office website states:
Remaining wet and windy on Tuesday, and also in the south on Wednesday. Becoming more settled for all by Thursday. Temperatures near the seasonal average, but chilly at night.
Urgent health warning to hot water bottle users in cold weather
A woman has urged others to “never use” hot water bottles after her seven-year-old bottle exploded leaving her with third-degree burns.
Two flood alerts issued in Wales
Two flood alerts have been issued along the northwestern coast of Wales.
Natural Resources Wales warns that flooding is possible along the coastline at West Anglesey, the Lleyn Peninsula, and Cardigan Bay.
“Flooding of low-lying land and roads is expected. Be careful on beaches, promenades, coastal footpaths, roads, low lying land, close to the estuary,” the agency warns.
Temperatures to reach double-digits in southern England as storm hits
The Met Office has produced a graphic showing how Storm Herminia will sweep across the UK on Sunday.
Environment Agency urges people to stay away from exposed coastal areas
Ben Lukey, a flood duty manager at the Environment Agency, said: “Spells of heavy rain mean surface water and river flooding is possible across parts of England on Sunday, overnight into Monday.
“Although not expected, impacts could include localised flooding from watercourses, drains, channels and flooding from overland flow.
“The risk of coastal flooding remains very low. However, we urge people to stay away from exposed areas on beaches, promenades, coastal footpaths and roads where large waves and sea spray could be dangerous.”
He warned people not to drive through flood water as 30cm of flowing water is enough to float a car.
Technicians from France to help restore power and water to those in Ireland hit by Storm Eowyn
Technicians from England and France are set to help restore power to homes and businesses across Ireland following Storm Eowyn.
More than 300,000 remain without power across Ireland following record-setting wind speeds, with ESB Networks warning that 100,000 may still be without power by next Friday. Nearly 110,000 were also without water on Sunday afternoon.
Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary said technicians from England are helping ESB workers, and further support is coming from France, with the main focus this week around restoring power and water.
He described the damage as “extensive”, but said they are “throwing everything at it”.
Jeremy Clarkson claims BBC’s weather coverage is part of ‘anti-Tory’ narrative
Jeremy Clarkson has claimed that warnings about Storm Eowyn, which has unleashed 100 mph winds on the UK and Ireland and left one man dead, is part of an “anti-Tory” narrative.
Clarkson, in his column for The Sun, has scoffed at the warnings issued by experts, instead calling the conditions a “bit breezy”.
“The weathermen were all standing on the bottom corner of Ireland, making out like they were in Hiroshima in 1945 and there were stories that commercial airliners were coming across the Atlantic at speeds in excess of 800 mph,” wrote the 64-year-old.
“Look, I know why the weathermen like to get hysterical,” claimed Clarkson. “It means they are elevated from a slot at the end of a news bulletin into the bulletin itself and this makes their mums and dads very proud.”
“And I know why BBC television producers like the histrionics as well. It plays into the anti-Tory, anti-growth, anti-business global-warming narrative.”
Greg Evans reports:
Meteorologist explains why UK is seeing back-to-back weather fronts
Multiple weather systems are arriving at the same time because of the placement of the jet stream, Met Office meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey said.
“It’s being fuelled by the cold wave that they’ve had recently over the United States and Canada, and that contrast between the cold air there, and the mild air pushing in from the equator is helping to fuel this very powerful jet stream across the Atlantic at the moment,” said Mr Vautrey.
“It’s the exact positioning of the jet stream that determines who sees the low pressure and who sees the strongest winds. Initially it helped steer Eowyn up towards the north west of the UK, and so we saw the strongest winds from that [there].
“Whereas with this next system that the Spanish have named, because the jet stream is just slightly further south now, it’s pushing it a little bit more to the south of the UK, but into parts of continental Europe as well – that’s why they’re seeing the strongest winds”.
Source: independent.co.uk
