Delegates, campaigners and journalists travelling by train to the Glasgow climate conference fell victim to a weather-related chaos today after a fallen tree on a railway line.
All tracks on the main rail route between London and Glasgow were blocked near the town of Milton Keynes due to the tree which fell into overhead electric power lines as the UK was hit by brutal 80mph winds and torrential rain.
A Reuters reporter on a cancelled train service said several passengers had changed their travel plans and were booking flights to Glasgow where the United Nations COP26 climate conference kicks off on Sunday.
Wind damage has been reported in multiple areas of the UK on Sunday with the Met Office unable to rule out whether any tornadoes have taken place.
Yellow warnings for wind and rain are in place over large parts of the west and elsewhere, and more are likely.
Meteorologist Tom Morgan said: ‘We’ve got a deep Atlantic area of low pressure that’s bringing a very heavy band of rain and squalling winds across the whole of the country, but particularly in the south of England,” he said.
Vehicles travel through standing water during heavy rain in Bromsgrove, West Midlands, on Sunday amid weather warnings for rainfall
Standing water on roads in Bromsgrove, West Midlands, after the Met Office warned of travel disruption due to heavy rainfall and already high river levels
The three-day forecast for the UK following weather warnings issued by the Met Office for several areas as wind and rain batters Britain
Waves crashing by the Porthcawl lighthouse in south Wales on Sunday as strong winds and heavy rain batters the UK
‘We’ve seen some very strong gusts of wind on the south coast… and a few reports of damage from the winds.
‘It’s not out of the question that there will have been some localised, brief funnel clouds or tornadoes.
‘In the last couple of days we have seen some reports and seen some photos of funnel clouds and water spouts, which are similar to tornadoes.’
He added that wind speeds of 87mph were recorded at an exposed location on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, and there were gusts of 60mph across Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire and Sussex.
One resident in Amesbury, Wiltshire, thought they had witnessed a ‘hurricane’ hit the area after spotting bins flying and trees breaking due to the powerful winds.
Infectious disease ecologist Dr Emma Gillingham tweeted: ‘Did a hurricane just hit Amesbury, Wiltshire? Incredible wind suddenly from nowhere, trees breaking, wheelie bins flying and all calm again now.’
A dog walker struggles through strong winds and heavy rain in Wimbledon Common on Sunday. The Met Office has warned winds could reach 70mph
A yellow weather warning is in place across several areas of the UK, including most of the south, where a man at Wimbledon Common is pictured struggling with an umbrella amid heavy rain
Broken trees and a dustbin blown across a residential street in Amesbury, Wiltshire, as strong winds and heavy rain batter the UK
The infectious disease ecologist thought she had witnessed a hurricane, such was the strength of the wind and rain
However, the Met Office said it believed the ‘hurricane’ was in fact a ‘squall’, the name for a ‘sudden, sharp increase in wind speed lasting minutes’.
Northamptonshire Police said they had received a high number of calls relating to the weather conditions and that trees had fallen on scores of roads in the county.
Reverend Richard Coles, vicar of Finedon, took to social media after a blustery close call.
He tweeted: ‘We were just praying for the COP26 conference in church when we were hit by what I can only describe as a tornado, which took out a number of trees including this pre Conquest yew.’
South Western Railway has also apologised to customers after trees blocked part of the network, saying there may be cancellations, delays and alterations to services.
It comes as three people are feared to have drowned and another is fighting for their life after they were swept off their paddleboards when a sudden storm turned a flooded river into a torrent on Saturday night.
The three, part of an organised outing, had been in the water only minutes when they were hit by a deluge of rushing water as they paddled near a weir on the swollen river in Pembrokeshire.
They were swept from their boards and seen ‘in distress’ in the River Cleddau, near the town centre of Haverfordwest.
Steven Keats, meteorologist, said conditions would begin ‘going downhill’ on Sunday.
Strong gusts coming from the west will brought a ‘wild start’ to the day, with potential for further disruption and wet weather going into the first week of November, according to the Met Office.
The yellow weather warning is also in place for Glasgow, where the global Cop26 climate conference begins today.
He added: ‘Further West heavy rain will be picking up and there’ll be some heavy rain coming in from the Atlantic.
‘That will dominate the weather into tomorrow.
‘Heavy rain will push across into…western parts of England and Wales and be accompanied by some pretty strong and gusty winds.’
He continued: ‘Given the fact that trees are in full leaf and the ground is pretty saturated in many areas, you could get one or trees coming down.
‘It’s going to be very unsettled.’
Emergency services at the River Cleddau in Haverfordwest, Wales, on Saturday, where at least three people were on their boards on a usually calm stretch of the river when they were hit by a huge deluge of flood water
Mr Keats said declining temperatures throughout next week would bring a ‘seasonal’ feel and that weather would remain ‘unsettled’, though risks of ‘hefty downpours’ remained.
‘The most disruptive potential from the weather will be in the next 24 to 36 hours’, he said.