Storm Austen smashed into Britain today with 80mph gusts and heavy rain as schools closed and thousands of homes lost power – while trains and flights were also cancelled.
Commuters endured chaos as motorists in some areas were urged to avoid non-essential journeys after roads became impassable due to flooding and fallen trees.
The storm had its biggest impact in the South West, where more than 9,000 homes in Cornwall were without power, with the area around Penzance badly hit.
Some schools in Cornwall were closed for the day or opening later for safety reasons, while the Jersey government told all schools and colleges on the island to shut.
The highest wind speeds recorded this morning were 76mph on the Isles of Scilly, 76mph on Guernsey, 72mph on Jersey and 71mph at Culdrose in Cornwall.
Drivers in Devon and Cornwall were told to only travel if necessary following reports of overturned vans, trees down, fallen power cables and debris blown across roads.
South Western Railway, Southern, Thameslink, Great Western Railway, Northern Rail, CrossCountry and Gatwick Express all warned of train disruption due to the storm.
Some 19 flights were cancelled at Heathrow today, 17 at Gatwick, 13 at Southampton and four at Exeter, according to FlightRadar24 data. All morning flights at Jersey Airport were axed due to a red wind warning, affecting 25 services.
Austen is the first named storm of the season and will clear eastwards into the North Sea tonight, before a separate low pressure system – Storm Boelo – arrives tomorrow.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the UK could face ‘a winter of greater flooding’.
Meteorologists tracking Austen and Boelo in the Atlantic confirmed both low pressure systems have been undergoing explosive cyclogenesis, known as a ‘weather bomb’.
Waves crash over the lighthouse at Newhaven Harbour in East Sussex this morning
Rough seas on the Sussex coastline at Brighton this morning as Storm Austen hits the UK
A fallen tree in Falmouth, Cornwall, this morning after being brought down by strong winds
Dog walkers head out during heavy rain at Wimbledon Common in south-west London today
Waves crash over Newhaven Lighthouse and the breakwater in the East Sussex town today
Road closure caused by fallen trees on the A39 between Falmouth and Truro in Cornwall today
A bus drives through flooding at Wallisdown in Bournemouth early this morning
A weather bomb is officially declared when the central atmospheric pressure of a low pressure system rapidly falls by at least 24 millibars within a 24-hour period.
Met Office senior operational meteorologist Marco Petagna said Austen’s pressure was falling by 24mb in just 18 hours, from 1,004 mb to 980mb – and therefore within the threshold. Boelo will deepen from 999mb to 948mb in 24 hours – a drop of 51mb.
The Met Office said the deep area of low pressure for Boelo will be ‘invigorated by an active jet stream’ as it crosses the Atlantic before reaching Northern Ireland.
Austen could bring gusts of up to 80mph to parts of the South West, with 60mph to 70mph winds expected widely in the region.
The Met Office has issued an amber warning for wind, covering Cornwall, Devon and the Isles of Scilly, coming into effect from 1am and remaining in place until 10am.
Strong winds will be combined with spells of heavy rain, though gusts will gradually ease over the day.
The forecaster said Storm Austen is ‘likely to bring some disruption and possible damaging winds’ and warned of disruption on the roads and public transport networks.
Flying debris is ‘likely’, and the storm will ‘probably’ bring some damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs, it added.
In coastal areas, large waves could pose a danger to life, as well as beach debris being thrown onto coastal roads, sea fronts and properties.
Mobile phone coverage and the power supply could also be affected, the Met Office said.
Storm Austen hit the UK at 10pm last night, with warnings in place until midnight tonight
Met Office warnings for Storm Boelo begin at 6pm tomorrow and will run until 9pm on Sunday
Chief forecaster Neil Armstrong said: ‘This is the first stormy weather in the south of the UK this season and we expect some disruption as it moves through.
‘With trees in leaf, it is likely fallen branches and trees could obstruct roads and railways so take extra care on the Friday morning commute.’
Over the weekend, Storm Boelo will affect Northern Ireland, Scotland and parts of northern England with what the forecaster described as ‘impactful winds’.
Yellow weather warnings have been issued for the whole of mainland Scotland, the Western Isles, Orkney and the far North of England from 6pm tomorrow to 9pm on Sunday.
There will be ‘widespread gusts’ of 55mph to 65mph widely, with these reaching up to 70mph to 80mph in more exposed coastal locations, the Met Office added.
Network Rail Scotland said trains will be slowed down today and over the weekend to keep people safe in the areas expected to see the heaviest rain.
Craig Gorman, its head of operational weather strategy, said: ‘We can’t control the weather, but we can make sure we’re as ready as possible for whatever it brings.
‘A big part of our job is staying one step ahead. We’re constantly looking at how the forecast is developing and what that could mean for different parts of the railway, allowing us to make the right decisions at the right time.
‘We know any disruption from these storms will be frustrating, particularly as it’s the weekend, but we’ll do everything we can to keep people moving wherever it’s safe to do so.’
Early today, Southern Rail announced a lightning strike at Normans Bay prevented trains from stopping at the station.
The amber warning for wind is in place from 1am to 10am today for Devon and Cornwall
A yellow warning for wind is in place for a wider region between 10pm last night and 5pm today
Another yellow wind warning has been issued for the South East from 10am to 9pm today
A yellow rain warning has been issued in Scotland from 7am this morning until midnight tonight
Elsewhere, National Rail said the weather warning meant fewer trains would call at Ryde Pier Head until 6pm today.
The operator also said a number of services in the North of England will be changed throughout the day today, advising passengers to plan ahead.
Some services between Leeds and York via Harrogate will not stop at Weeton or Headingley, while trains between York and Blackpool North will skip New Pudsey.
A separate yellow warning, covering Northern Ireland from 6pm tomorrow to 3pm on Sunday, is due to predicted winds of 50mph to 60mph, with up to 65mph to 75mph in exposed regions.
Forecasters have also issued a yellow warning for wind across a large area of south-west England and Wales, running from 10pm last night through to 5pm today – with gusts predicted to reach up to 45mph to 55mph.
Another yellow weather warning for large parts of England, the North West and North Wales is in place from 10am today until 9pm this evening.
Heavy rain is expected today, as Storm Austen tracks eastwards throughout the day.
It will be heaviest in southern and eastern Scotland, where a yellow weather warning has been issued from 7am this morning to midnight tonight.
Accumulations of 20mm (0.8in) to 40mm (1.6in) are expected within the warning area throughout this time, with 60mm (2.4in) to 80mm (3.1in) possible in some locations, the Met Office said.
This could bring flooding and travel disruption in a few places.
The warning area includes much of Scotland, from as far south as the Borders and Dumfries and Galloway to Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire.
Parts of the west, including all of Ayrshire, Lanarkshire and Glasgow are affected, with the majority of the east also forecast to be hit by rain.
A yellow warning for Boelo’s 80mph gusts runs from 6pm tomorrow until 9pm on Sunday
A yellow wind warning for Northern Ireland runs from 6pm tomorrow until 3pm on Sunday
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has 11 flood alerts in place in the same areas where the Met Office’s yellow warning is in place.
In England, two flood warnings – meaning flooding is expected – were in force – one for the Dorset coast at Chiswell, and the other for the South Devon coast at Beesands, Torcross, Slapton and Dawlish.
A total of 11 other flood alerts – meaning flooding is possible – were in place across England.
People were advised by the Met Office to stay away from cliff edges and well back from stormy seas that could ‘sweep you off your feet’.
Homeowners were told to take steps to protect their property from damage and other people from injury, such as checking for loose items outside and planning how to secure them in high winds.
These items include bins, plant pots, garden furniture, trampolines and sheds.
Garth Smith, head of resilience at the British Red Cross, has encouraged the public to take steps to protect themselves, their families and their homes.
He said: ‘We have practical advice that can make a real difference – from checking in with people who may be more vulnerable, securing loose items in your garden to checking windows and doors, and making an evacuation plan for your household, including pets.
‘We also urge people to keep an eye on local weather reports and guidance from local authorities.’
Ross Macleod, the RNLI’s water safety manager, has asked people not to take ‘unnecessary risks’ when visiting the coast.
He said: ‘If you plan to visit the coast or a waterside location, we urge you stay a safe distance from the water as conditions could knock you off your feet or wash you into the sea.’
In Ireland, an orange rain warning came into effect for Cork, Kerry and Waterford late last night as Storm Austen arrived. That alert lifted at 5am.
A similar warning for Dublin, Wexford and Wicklow was issued from 2am to 8am this morning. A yellow rain and wind warning remains in effect for Munster and Leinster until 10am today.
The Met Office has said Austen, Boelo and Chloe will be the first named storms of the season
Met Éireann warned of difficult travel conditions with the potential for flooding.
The forecast comes a week after severe drought was declared in parts of England, amid concerns over dwindling reservoirs because of extremely dry conditions.
The South East and South West have experienced their driest April to September for more than a century – affecting reservoirs in those areas, according to officials.
As a result, ‘severe drought’ – in which a lack of water affects daily life and the environment in major ways, and can have extensive effects – has been declared in parts of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex and West Sussex.
But supercharged El Nino conditions in the Pacific which affect weather across the world will put the UK at greater risk of a wet stormy autumn overall, forecasters say.
The Met Office storm year runs from September to August, with each 12-month period having its own alphabetical list of names that are used to label successive storms.
This year’s list begins with Austen and continues with Boelo, Chloe, Dano and Evelyn, ending at W with Wende.
Storm naming is a partnership between the Met Office, Ireland’s Met Éireann and the Dutch service KNMI.
Met Éireann selected the name for the first storm in honour of Austen Nagle, the Irish Meteorological Service’s first director.
KNMI picked names from more than 3,000 suggestions submitted by the public, including Boelo – a nearly extinct name from the east Groningen region that has been passed down through the nominator’s family for generations.
Greenpeace climate campaigner Maja Darlington has called on the Government to act to stop a ‘doom loop of extreme weather’, after a summer of wildfires and drought.
She said: ‘We’ve barely cooled off from a summer of blistering heat, and now the first winter storms are battering at the front door.
‘While millions of people face the prospect of ruined homes and businesses, oil giants are preparing to announce multi-billion-pound profits next week.
‘The Government must take a stand against this doom loop of extreme weather and corporate impunity.’
