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The current bout of severe weather known as Storm Ciarán has arrived in the UK, resulting in significant disruptions to travel. It is anticipated that there will be continued cancellations and delays until Friday.
The UK’s Met Office predicts that Storm Ciarán will pass over the southern region on Thursday. However, before the storm hits, the weather service cautions that a strong cold front will sweep through southern and southeast England, bringing with it periods of heavy rain and coastal winds gusting at 60-70mph. This will primarily affect areas from Dorset and eastward.
The head meteorologist at the Met Office, Dan Suri, stated: “Warnings for wind and rain due to Storm Ciarán will be active from Wednesday night until Friday, with potential for additional updates on Wednesday.”
Storm Ciarán is anticipated to cause powerful winds in the southern coastal regions of England, with potential gusts of 70-80mph. In the most vulnerable areas, gusts may even exceed 85mph. Inland areas may experience gusts of 50-60mph.
Along with powerful gusts, this intense area of low pressure will also result in significant precipitation across various regions in the United Kingdom. The majority of southern England and south Wales, along with sections of north Wales, northeast England, southeast Scotland, and potentially the eastern portion of Northern Ireland, are expected to experience the heaviest rain from Wednesday evening until Friday morning.
“Areas in Southern Wales and Southwest England could potentially receive up to 80mm (3 inches) of rainfall, adding to the already saturated ground and increasing the possibility of flooding.”
On Thursday morning, amber wind warnings are in effect for southwestern England and Wales. Later in the day and early evening on Thursday, there will also be amber warnings for the far south and southeast of England.
National Rail has issued a warning regarding potential travel disruptions in Wales and the southern region of England on Wednesday and Thursday, as well as in the northeast of England on Thursday and Friday. This is due to the forecasted heavy rain and strong winds during these periods.
Nine train companies, which may experience significant disruption, are currently offering the option for passengers with tickets for November 2nd to travel on either November 1st or 3rd instead. This applies even to those with advance tickets. The affected companies are:
- C2C
- CrossCountry
- Gatwick Express/Southern/Thameslink
- Great Western Railway
- Southeastern
- South Western Railway
- Transport for Wales
“The expected severe weather conditions will result in reduced train services between Taunton and Plymouth. It is expected that there will be major disruptions starting at 6pm today.”
DFDS Ferries has cancelled its scheduled voyage from Newhaven to Dieppe on the English Channel for tonight and the next three evenings until Thursday.
Brittany Ferries is telling travellers: “Weather-related delays and/or cancellations may occur on Wednesday 1 November and (particularly) Thursday 2 November. We will continue to monitor forecasts carefully in the coming 24 hours.”
Due to severe weather conditions, all regional express trains in the Hauts de France region, spanning from north of Paris to Calais and Dunkirk, have been cancelled for Thursday. The train operator has issued a warning, stating that strong winds are predicted in the North of France. For the safety of passengers and staff, there will be a complete halt in TER Hauts-de-France services on Thursday 2 November, with potential impacts on Friday 3 November in the morning.
Source: independent.co.uk
