A second person has died during Storm Darragh as winds reaching more than 90mph have left thousands without power across Wales and the west of England.
One man, in his 40s, died when a tree fell on a Citroen van he was driving on the A59 at Longton, near Preston, at about 9am on Saturday. He was pronounced dead at the scene, Lancashire Police said.
A second person died after a tree fell on his car in Erdington in Birmingham just after 3pm.
Across the country, trees were brought crashing down and flights were cancelled amid wind gusts of up to 96mph recorded overnight in Capel Curig in North Wales.
On Saturday night, the Energy Networks Association said some 259,000 homes were without power in England, Scotland and Wales.
Flights were also in disarray across the UK, with hundreds of cancellations and some extreme diversions as planes abort landings at Heathrow and others are diverted to Germany.
Further yellow warnings are in place for wind on Sunday for much of England and Wales.
Key Points
- Second man dies in Storm Darragh
- Met Office extends yellow wind warning for the whole of Sunday
- Storm Darragh brings travel chaos to UK on rail, air and sea amid weather warnings
- Merseyside derby cancelled due to storm
60mm of rain expected to lash England throughout Sunday
07:10
Barney Davis
The Met Office said heavy rain was expected to persist in central and eastern parts of England throughout Sunday, with 20-25mm forecast to fall across much of the country.
As much as 60mm could fall over high ground of the Cheviots, Pennines and North York Moors.
Further strong winds to batter UK
06:00
Alex Ross
More strong winds are set to batter much of the UK after Storm Darragh swept through the country.
Gusts of up to 80mph could hit Northern Ireland until 6am on Sunday, before a fresh yellow Met Office wind warning comes into force across much of England and Wales.
More widely there are likely to be gusts of 35-45mph inland, even reaching 70mph around coasts during the morning.
It means that further travel disruption and power cuts are likely until 6pm, the Met Office said.
Flood warnings in place
05:04
Alex Ross
The Environment Agency has in force 64 flood warnings for areas it believes flooding is expected - with many located on the border between Wales and England.
A spokesperson said: “Local flooding from rivers and surface water is probable in parts of the West Midlands, North East and North West England on Sunday.
“Local flooding may continue into Monday and Tuesday along parts of the River Severn in Shropshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire until Tuesday. Land, roads and some properties could flood and there could be travel disruption.”
Outlook from Monday
04:04
Alex Ross
Beyond the weather warnings for Monday, the Met Office says it will become more settled into the start of the week.
A spokesperson said there will be light winds for many and staying mainly dry.
However, they added that it will turn increasingly cloudy with patchy rain and drizzle lingering along the north and south coast.
Waterfall flowing upwards
03:04
Alex Ross
So strong were the winds in Northern Ireland on Saturday that footage caught a waterfall flowing upwards.
This video was taken in Coleraine in Northern Ireland where winds reached 62mph on Saturday.
A waterfall flowing upwards this afternoon in Coleraine, N Ireland due to #StormDarragh impacting the UK today! Video; Matthew Via BBC N Ireland. #Darragh pic.twitter.com/AkENYmiAu8
— WEATHER/ METEO WORLD (@StormchaserUKEU) December 7, 2024
Four in five homes that lost power now reconnected
02:14
Alex Ross
Energy Networks Association said 259,000 customers across England, Scotland and Wales were without power as of Saturday evening.
It said that 80 per cent of homes affected by the storm have been reconnected.
The Environment Agency had 56 flood warnings in place in England on Saturday evening, meaning flooding is expected.
Reminder of the two tragic deaths during Storm Darragh
01:00
Alex Ross
As part of our coverage on Storm Darragh, we’ve reported on the deaths of two men.
Earlier on Saturday, one man died after a tree fell onto his van in Lancashire.
The man, in his 40s, was driving his Citroen vehicle on the A59 at Longton, near Preston, at about 9am on Saturday.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Later, West Midlands Police said another man had died in the storm.
The latest victim was killed when a tree fell and hit his car on Silver Birch Road, Erdington, on Saturday afternoon.
Sergeant Benjamin Parsons, of the roads policing unit, said: “Our thoughts are with the man’s family at this time, and his next of kin have been informed.”
The road was closed with drivers urged to avoid the area.
More than 20,000 customers still without power in Northern Ireland
00:01
Alex Ross
More than 20,000 customers remain without power across Northern Ireland following Storm Darragh.
NIE Networks have warned it may take days for power to be restored to all customers in the region following damage caused by gusts of up to 70mph.
At the peak, some 48,000 were without power. NIE Networks said by 9pm on Saturday, about 22,000 remained without power.
A spokesperson said it is anticipated that a small number will have power restored overnight.
Damage in pictures
Saturday 7 December 2024 23:00
Alex Ross
Winds of more than 90mph caused damage to attractions, businesses and homes - the repair work now begins
Everton fan who travelled from South Africa ‘shattered’ as derby is called off
Saturday 7 December 2024 22:00
Alex Ross
An Everton fan who travelled from South Africa said his lifelong dream to watch his team play was “shattered” after the final league Merseyside derby at Goodison Park between Everton and Liverpool was postponed due to Storm Darragh.
Gareth Clark, 29, told the PA news agency he arrived in the UK from Cape Town on November 27 and has been staying in London, Liverpool and Edinburgh since then, with the Merseyside derby the highlight of his trip.
“It has been my lifelong dream to come and watch Everton, and I finally saved enough money to come and watch my first derby – and, of course, the final derby at Goodison. Also my first time that I have managed to come to the UK,” he said.
Mr Clark, a teacher, said he spent a “vast amount” of money on the trip, including around £750 for flights.
Mr Clark said he will likely watch Everton play in person in the future, but he is unsure when this will happen due to the financial cost of coming to the UK from South Africa.
“I’m a teacher so, realistically, probably not anytime soon. I’m getting married in April, and the budget will be quite tight. This one was a bit of a spur of the moment when my holidays ended and I had some money saved up.
“I really hope to be able to return to watch our last derby at Goodison, however, financially I do not think it will be possible.
“I’ve been a huge, huge Everton fan for a very long time, so I definitely think that I will be back, I’m just not sure when.”
Second man dies in Storm Darragh
Saturday 7 December 2024 20:17
Alex Ross
A second man has died in Storm Darragh after a tree fell and hit his car this afternoon.
West Midlands Police were called to Erdington in Birmingham just after 3pm today, following reports that a tree had fallen and hit a car as a result of the storm conditions.
Sgt Benjamin Parsons said: “Our thoughts are with the man’s family at this time, and his next of kin have been informed.
“A report will be passed onto the coroner. Anyone who saw what happened or who may have dashcam or mobile phone footage, is asked to please get in touch.”
Mapped weather warnings: Saturday night/Sunday
Saturday 7 December 2024 19:35
Alex Ross
Weather warnings still in place
Saturday 7 December 2024 19:14
Alex Ross
Multiple severe weather warnings are in force across the UK for Storm Darragh.
An amber warning for wind covers the whole of Northern Ireland as well as the western coasts of Wales and England, the whole of England and Wales are covered by a yellow warning for wind until tomorrow.
An amber warning for rain is also in force for parts of South Wales where up to 80-90mm of rain may fall over the course of the storm. Further yellow rain warnings are in force for the rest of Wales and parts of southern and eastern Scotland.
#StormDarragh has brought increasingly strong winds overnight, but they are set to peak in the next few hours across parts of Wales and southwest England ️
— Met Office (@metoffice) December 7, 2024
Stay safe if you are out this morning, and keep up to date with the latest warnings ⚠️
https://t.co/j7ojlIej4g pic.twitter.com/Vg3O770gyd
Sailor living on yacht in Portsmouth harbour documents storm
Saturday 7 December 2024 19:08
Alex Ross
A sailor who lives on a yacht in Portsmouth said he was up all night listening to the howling winds of Storm Darragh and is “just riding out on coffee at the moment”.
Ed Coll, 29, told the PA news agency he has been living on a yacht in a marina in the city since January after he was diagnosed with testicular cancer and decided to following his dream of living on a boat.
He has since recovered from cancer and has been documenting his experience living on the yacht on his TikTok @sailing.optimist for more than 5,000 followers.
Mr Coll has been filming his experience grappling with Storm Darragh, with one of his videos showing him preparing ahead of the storm gaining more than 1.2 million views.
He said the storm “sounds so much worse” in the marina with the various noises made by the wind and surrounding boats, adding: “Your mind can’t really switch off.
“My parents’ boat is four boats down from me, so I was going over there in the night to see if their boat was OK,” he said.
He pulled a neighbour’s dinghy out of the water in the morning after it had been blown off their boat by the strong winds.
“I heard this massive bang this morning and I was like, what on earth was that, and their dinghy had flown off of the front of their boat onto the pontoon and wedged down the side of the boat,” he said.
He added: “There’s a few boats in the marina where the covers have ripped. It’s just one of those annoying things. There’s nothing you can really do.”
Full report: Storm Darragh causes chaos across UK as 96mph winds leave one dead and hundreds of thousands without power
Saturday 7 December 2024 18:36
Jabed Ahmed
Storm Darragh map: Where are the weather warnings and when will it end
Saturday 7 December 2024 17:55
Jabed Ahmed
Pier manager bemoans loss of ice cream kiosk
Saturday 7 December 2024 17:40
Barney Davis
Paul Williams, general manager of Llandudno Pier in North Wales, said it may cost £250,000 to repair the damage Storm Darragh caused to the tourist attraction.
He said: “Overnight one of the kiosks, one of the original ones, which is roughly 148-years-old was ripped up.
“It’s the first time in its history that it has been tipped to one side.
“The ice cream stand at the end of the pier has been ripped up and it went into the sea. and there are about a thousand pieces washed up on the other side of the bay.
“The roof has come off the toilet and there’s real fear that we’ll potentially lose the bar and cafe down the end as well.”
He added: “Repair-wise you’re looking at about £250,000, easy.
“Potentially we may have to look at the pier not reopening for a considerable amount of time.”
Heathrow airport flight cancellations mount
Saturday 7 December 2024 17:05
Simon Calder
At London Heathrow, the busiest airport in the UK, many flights have been diverted or cancelled. Brussels was the destination for diverted transatlantic flights including Delta from Atlanta, American Airlines from Dallas and Air Canada from Calgary.
British Airways has made more than 100 short-haul domestic and European cancellations at London Heathrow, including multiple flights to and from Edinburgh, Jersey, Milan, Nice and Vienna.
Holiday departures to and from Malaga, Larnaca and Gibraltar are also among those grounded.
Many other airlines’ flights are cancelled, including Lufthansa to and from Frankfurt and Munich, Air France to Paris CDG and KLM from Amsterdam.
Aer Lingus has grounded links from Cork, Dublin, Knock and Shannon to Heathrow, and the outbound flights.
Watch live: Planes battle Storm Darragh 90mph winds to land at Heathrow Airport
Saturday 7 December 2024 16:49
Barney Davis
Watch live as planes battle Storm Darragh and wind speeds of over 90mph to land at Heathrow Airport on Saturday (7 December).
Several British Airways flights to and from Heathrow, Paris, the United States and the Netherlands have been cancelled amid the treacherous weather conditions.
Early warning system may have saved Brits from harm - meteorologist
Saturday 7 December 2024 14:59
Barney Davis
With one Brit killed so far in Storm Darragh a meteorologist claimed more could have seen harm if the UK didn’t have such accurate forecasts.
Professor Andrew Charlton-Perez, meteorologist and head of the School of Mathematical Physical and Computational Sciences at the University of Reading, said: “Storm Darragh was well forecast and combined with the clearly communicated warnings seems to have provided the public with the information they needed to to make good decisions to avoid harm.
“It has been good to see public authorities like the Welsh FA and Premier League taking sensible action to prevent the need for people to travel and put themselves in danger.
“A key part of climate adaptation for the UK and countries around the world is having access to high-quality weather forecasts of extreme weather events that are becoming more frequent and more severe due to the warming climate.
“This storm is a reminder that the UK is very fortunate to have one of the most effective public weather services in the world. This should spur us on to help deliver on the UN’s commitment to develop early warnings for all, and provide similar life-saving warnings for people wherever they live in the world, whether in Lilongwe or Llandudno.”
Somerset businesses surprised how many customers still venturing out in fatal storm
Saturday 7 December 2024 14:55
Barney Davis
Small businesses near the Bristol Channel in Somerset said tiles had flown off their buildings and they had faced delivery issues.
Eleanor Sedgwick, 23, a front-of-house supervisor at Scarlett’s in Clevedon, said the cafe did not open on Saturday morning because it was “too big of a risk”.
She told the PA news agency: “The years that I’ve worked here, I’ve never had to close because of the weather, apart from when it snowed.”
Ms Sedgwick said four tiles fell off their roof but she felt the business had “got off quite lucky” compared with previous storms.
She added: “We’re very fortunate because we are the first sort of wall (the storm) hit, so it’s scary but I’m glad that everyone’s happy and safe.”
Ben England, 47, manager of the Tiffin cafe on the same beachfront, said: “Last night we put all the (outside) chairs under wraps and tried to make it as secure as possible.
“Some of our deliveries didn’t make it through from Bristol, but I think we should be OK. I cancelled probably 80% of our staff that were coming in today, so it’s literally just the skeleton crew.”
Both Ms Sedgwick and Mr England said they were surprised at the number of customers venturing out.
Major incident has been declared in Wales
Saturday 7 December 2024 14:33
Barney Davis
Dyfed-Powys Police said it was continuing to experience high volumes of calls about fallen trees and poor driving conditions.
Superintendent Chris Neve said: “I have this morning declared a major incident for the counties of Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Powys, which means that together with our partners, we can call on the resources we need to respond to the challenges brought by Storm Darragh.
“I’d like to reassure the public that at this time, Dyfed-Powys Police is still able to respond to priority calls for service.
“We have robust plans in place to respond to Storm Darragh, and we continue to work extremely closely with partner agencies to do so through local resilience arrangements and close working on the ground.
“The safety of the public remains our top priority and I am urging everyone to take the warnings that have been issued seriously.
“I’d like to thank our communities for their support at this time, and once again ask that you avoid unnecessary travel and follow all official advice to stay safe.”
Met Office forecast for more wind and rain
Saturday 7 December 2024 14:09
Barney Davis
The Met Office may have downgraded the earlier red alert but the latest forecasts shows Storm Darragh will continues to bring wet and very windy weather.
#StormDarragh continues to bring wet and very windy weather across the UK - here's a look at the latest forecast with Ellie Glaisyer
— Met Office (@metoffice) December 7, 2024
Stay #WeatherAware ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/WbZ9MX5JHP
Man dies in Lancashire as tree falls onto van while driving
Saturday 7 December 2024 13:36
Jabed Ahmed
A man has died during Storm Darragh after a tree fell onto his van in Lancashire.
The man, in his 40s, was driving his Citroen vehicle on the A59 at Longton, near Preston, at about 9am on Saturday.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Detective Sgt Matt Davidson, from Lancashire Police’s serious collision investigation unit, said: “Very sadly this incident has resulted in the death of a man and our thoughts are with his loved ones at this time.
“An investigation is ongoing, and I would appeal to anyone who saw what happened or has any dashcam or mobile phone footage to please get in touch.”
Brave Storm Darragh watchers line harbour as 10-foot waves crash against wall
Saturday 7 December 2024 13:30
Barney Davis
Footage from Porthcawl, South Wales, shows people lined up close to the harbour edge to catch a glimpse of the storm on Saturday (7 December).
Porthcawl is covered by a Met Office red warning for wind, which covers parts of Wales and the South West of England, including Cardiff, Bristol and Devon.
Bus crashes into house during high winds in Northern Ireland
Saturday 7 December 2024 12:59
Barney Davis
An airport transfer bus is pictured after leaving the road and crashing into a house in Templepatrick during high winds on December 7, 2024 in Ballyclare, Northern Ireland.
Storm Darragh is the fourth named storm of this season and is expected to bring gusts of wind up to 80mph and heavy rain through the weekend.
Storm Darragh brings travel chaos to UK on rail, air and sea amid weather warnings
Saturday 7 December 2024 12:34
Barney Davis
Trees have been blown on to tracks and station roofs dismantled by Storm Darragh’s heavy winds sparking mass cancellations across the rail network.
Hundreds of flights across the country have been diverted or cancelled, with dozens of ferry crossings on the Irish Sea and in the Western Isle of Scotland also cancelled.
Simon Calder reports the key problem areas travellers should be aware of:
Plane struggles to land at Heathrow Airport as Storm Darragh hits UK with wind speeds reaching 90mph
Saturday 7 December 2024 12:30
Barney Davis
This is the moment a plane struggles to land at Heathrow Airport as Storm Darragh hits the UK with wind speeds reaching 90mph.
The footage, captured by Big Jet TV on Saturday (7 December), shows the aircraft battling the winds as it sways from side to side, before a bumping landing on the runway.
Several British Airways flights to and from Heathrow, Paris, the United States and the Netherlands have already been cancelled.
Falling trees destroy parked cars across Penarth, south Wales
Saturday 7 December 2024 12:25
Barney Davis
Train station roof blown onto tracks in Wiltshire
Saturday 7 December 2024 12:15
Barney Davis
Great Western Railway has warned passengers of “significant delays” as part of the roof of Westbury station - was blown off onto the tracks.
Many Great Western Railway lines are closed including Cardiff to Swansea and on to Carmarthen for the rest of the day, Plymouth to Penzance at least until lunchtime and all the GWR branch lines in Devon and Cornwall.
GWR has also issued a Do Not Travel notice for Sunday – but that is because of an expected shortage of train crew rather than bad weather. Anyone with a ticket for this weekend can use it on Monday
#WILTSHIRE #STORMDARRAGH The damage to #Westbury railway station (photos sent to BBC by Shaun Croucher) pic.twitter.com/4TL1lA1YKk
— Ian Fergusson (@fergieweather) December 7, 2024
Met Office extends yellow wind warning for the whole of Sunday
Saturday 7 December 2024 12:00
Barney Davis
Yellow wind warnings will be in place across much of the UK, including London and the South East, on Sunday.
The Met Office says you can expect to see:
- A slight chance of some damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs
- It is likely that some roads and bridges could close, with impacts from falling trees
- There is a slight chance that power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage
- There is a small chance that injuries and danger to life could occur from large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties
- There is a small chance of injuries and danger to life from flying debris
- There is likely to be longer journey times or cancellations as road, rail, air and ferry services are affected
⚠️ Yellow weather warning issued ⚠️
— Met Office (@metoffice) December 7, 2024
Strong winds across England and Wales
Sunday 0600 – 1800
Latest info https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfs
Stay #WeatherAware⚠️ pic.twitter.com/TUWInmtWlZ
Surfer spotted riding huge waves off Welsh coast
Saturday 7 December 2024 11:43
Barney Davis
A surfer has been caught on camera catching an enormous wave at Porthcawl, south Wales during Storm Darragh.
Winds in other parts of Wales topped 80mph, while gusts of up to 77mph were recorded in Northern Ireland and south-west England, the forecaster said.
Storm Darragh makes landfall in Ireland as 90mph winds batter seafront
Saturday 7 December 2024 11:20
Barney Davis
Red warning downgraded to amber
Saturday 7 December 2024 11:16
Barney Davis
A rare red warning covering parts of Wales and south-west England on Saturday has expired at 11am.
But the Met Office downgrading the region to an amber alert said a period of very strong northerly or northwesterly winds is likely to remain during Saturday as Storm Darragh moves from west to east.
Gusts of 70 to 80 mph are likely around exposed coasts and headlands, where some very large waves are likely, whilst gusts of 60 to 70 mph are likely inland. The strongest winds will ease from the west through the afternoon.
A yellow warning for wind remains in effect until 6am on Sunday morning.
#StormDarragh continues to bring strong and potentially damaging winds this afternoon ️
— Met Office (@metoffice) December 7, 2024
Heavy rain will also persist for many ☔
Stay #WeatherAware ⚠️
Latest warnings https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfs pic.twitter.com/J4AWhCol94
Stunning shot of waves crashing into Moher cliffs
Saturday 7 December 2024 11:12
Barney Davis
Photographer Elaine Farrell captured stunning shots at the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare, Ireland.
Storm Darragh at the Cliffs of Moher this morning. ️ ️ ️#stormdarragh #cliffsofmoher #ireland
— Elaine Farrell Photography (@_EFarrellPhoto) December 7, 2024
Check back later for some cool shots.
⬇️https://t.co/qS8Kz0gnIH pic.twitter.com/6pDJjOQkgJ
Storm Darragh has brought travel chaos to Scotland
Saturday 7 December 2024 11:02
Barney Davis
The train line between Ayr and Girvan was shut after a large tree fell onto the tracks, while snow gates were closed on roads in the north-east of Scotland.
An amber wind warning is in place for parts of Dumfries and Galloway and South Ayrshire until 9pm on Saturday.
The Energy Networks Association reported 86,000 homes in England, Scotland and Wales were without power.
Scotrail said services on the line between Girvan and Ayr were disrupted by the tree on the tracks, with Network Rail sending a chainsaw team to the site.
There have been snow gate closures on the A93 and A939 roads, while the southbound A1 was restricted at Eyemouth due to a fallen tree.
CalMac also warned of possible disruptions to ferry sailings on the west coast.
More images coming in showing devastation of 90mph winds in Burnham-on-Sea
Saturday 7 December 2024 10:56
Barney Davis
Cardiff locals count damage of Storm Darragh
Saturday 7 December 2024 10:48
Barney Davis
A Cardiff resident described a “superb effort” from a council that cleared a tree that fell during Storm Darragh, breaking windows and damaging the wall around a property.
Stuart Cox, 64, told the PA news agency that an approximately 50ft mature tree on Cathedral Road in the Welsh capital fell into his next door neighbour’s garden in the early hours of Saturday.
“It broke one window two doors down and destroyed next door’s gate. The only damage to ours was the front wall was forced sideways, making the wall unstable and unable to shut the gate,” the accountant said.
“The council teams moved to us, after clearing other trees, around 5.30am and were all done by 8am. Superb effort.”
Latest images emerging of havoc wreaked by Storm Darragh
Saturday 7 December 2024 10:27
Barney Davis
Train cancellations across the Great Western Railway network
Saturday 7 December 2024 10:15
Barney Davis
Simon Calder, travel correspondent of The Independent, has been at London Paddington station since early today.
He reports: “Here at London Paddington, things have taken a turn for the worse since I got here at 6am. Many Great Western Railway lines are closed including Cardiff to Swansea and on to Carmarthen for the rest of the day, Plymouth to Penzance at least until lunchtime and all the GWR branch lines in Devon and Cornwall.
“Trains from Bristol are arriving up to 45 minutes late due to speed restrictions, which is triggering cancellations in the opposite direction. The train firm is now advising customers to change their plans if possible this weekend, and warning that fallen trees and other debris may also impact services.
“GWR has also issued a Do Not Travel notice for Sunday – but that is because of an expected shortage of train crew rather than bad weather. Anyone with a ticket for this weekend can use it on Monday.”
Air chaos with hundreds of cancellations and diversions
Saturday 7 December 2024 10:00
Barney Davis
Flights are in disarray across the UK, with hundreds of cancellations and some extreme diversions.
Passengers due to be arriving at Manchester airport from Abu Dhabi on Etihad spend one hour flying around in circles waiting to land – and eventually diverted to Frankfurt in Germany.
The Boeing 777 is now expected to fly to Manchester at lunchtime. British Airways has made 70 short-haul domestic and European cancellations at London Heathrow, including multiple flights to and from Edinburgh, Jersey and Milan.
Belfast City has had at least 30 arrivals and departures cancelled to and from airports across Britain, including Cardiff, London Heathrow, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
At Belfast International the only cancellation so far is to and from Bristol.
At Bristol the early morning Ryanair arrival from Venice was diverted to London Stansted, and at least two dozen easyJet flights are grounded, including to Barcelona, Porto and Geneva.
The airline is telling passengers: “Following guidance from the UK Government to avoid travel within the Bristol area during the morning of 7 December, regrettable we’ve been unable to operate your flight today.”
More sporting events to be cancelled after Merseyside derby called off
Saturday 7 December 2024 09:57
Barney Davis