Canal & River Trust counts costs of barrage of storms on waterways
The charity that maintains more than 2,000 miles of canals and navigable rivers in the UK says it is counting the cost of the recent barrage of storms on the nation’s waterways.
The Canal & River Trust said it is braced for a mammoth clear-up operation as floodwater levels begin to recede.
At Naburn Locks, near York, the entire complex has been submerged for weeks.
A Canal & River Trust spokeswoman said: ‘Extreme weather has battered the country, including the nation’s 250-year-old canal network.
‘As water levels recede, and another clear-up under way, the Canal & River Trust is counting the cost to our nation’s unique waterways heritage.
‘Today, Naburn Locks is facing one of its greatest challenges in its 267-year history as sustained heavy rainfall has left the site under water for weeks.
‘As water levels recede, the Canal & River Trust waterways charity has been out checking water levels and signs of damage.’
71mph gusts recorded in Powys in Wales
The Met Office has revealed the strongest winds that have been recorded across the UK so far today in the midst of Storm Jocelyn.
Lake Vyrnwy in Powys has seen the most powerful gusts with speeds of up to 71mph reocorded at the north Welsh reservoir.
Speeds in Aberdaron, also in north Wales, topped 67mph, while the Isle of Wight, faced stong winds of up to 64mph.
Workers remove huge fallen tree in Scotland
Workers have been pictured removing a tree that fell on an electricity substation on the Kinnaird estate in Larbert during Storm Isha on Sunday.
The fallen tree has caused hundreds of properties in the Falkirk area to be left without power.
A spokesperson for network operator GTC said: ‘The tree came down on a GTC substation in Larbert and the resulting damage led to 368 homes being without electricity.
‘GTC is working hard to restore power to the affected homes. To safely remove the tree and assess the damage to the substation, GTC unfortunately needs to isolate the supply to the local area, impacting 1,868 homes.
‘Isolation of the homes is currently underway. We expect to have the supply restored by 4pm this afternoon (Tuesday).’
Storm Jocelyn has officially arrived, The Met Office announces
Posting a short clip of satellite imagery to X, the Met Office said: ‘Storm Jocelyn is here.’
Sky News reported that there is a good chance this season will be the stormiest since records began in 2015.
Rainfall is expected in western Scotland, northwest England, Yorkshire, and northwest Wales.
Ferries in Scotland facing delays and cancellations due to Storm Jocelyn
Ferries linking Oban with Barra, Coll and Tiree have been cancelled today.
‘Strong winds and sea swell’ are to blame for the cancellation of a ferry between Mallaig and Armadale on the isle of Skye.
Those hoping to travel by ferry between Ardossan and the isle of Arran will also find the ferries cancelled after technical issues, combined with the strong winds of the storm.
London braces itself for Storm Jocelyn
No ScotRail trains to run after 7pm tonight – after they were suspended at 7pm on Sunday evening
No ScotRail trains will run in Scotland after 7pm as Storm Jocelyn sweeps in bringing more heavy wind and rain to the country.
Rush hour services on Wednesday morning have also been cancelled due to expectations of extreme weather over the next 24 hours.
The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for wind covering much of the UK, with an amber wind warning covering the west coast of Scotland, parts of the north and north east and Orkney between 6pm on Tuesday until 8am on Wednesday.
There are also yellow warnings for rain covering parts of western and southern Scotland and a yellow warning for ice has been issued across northern and eastern parts of Scotland.
ScotRail said infrastructure had already been ‘significantly impacted’ by Storm Isha, which passed only yesterday, and it predicted Storm Jocelyn will create more challenges across the network.
It comes after all ScotRail services were suspended at 7pm on Sunday evening due to Storm Isha, with services restarting later on Monday though some routes were still closed at 11am on Tuesday.
What does the Met Office’s amber warning mean?
The Met Office issued amber and yellow wind warnings for all of the country apart from southern England, as well as yellow rain warnings for North West England and Scotland. Gusts of 80mph could hit exposed areas, with up to 2in (50mm) of rain.
The amber alert stated: ‘Injuries and danger to life is likely from large waves and beach material being thrown onto coastal roads, sea fronts and properties.’
The Met Office says you can expect:
A good chance that power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage
Probably some damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs
Longer journey times and cancellations likely, as road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected
Some roads and bridges likely to close
Injuries and danger to life is likely from large waves and beach material being thrown onto coastal roads, sea fronts and properties
A farm in Scotland had the roof blown off its Polytunnel in the strong gusts
A farmer in Dumfries, Scotland posted images to X, formerly Twitter, to show the havoc the storms have caused over the last few days.
She said that there is no power to her farm or her house, and the roof of the polytunnel was torn off by the wind.
Dramatic pictures show huge waves on the Scottish coast
Hail and thunder are expected this afternoon
The Met Office has predicted a ‘very damp and blustery afternoon’ for everyone in the UK.
Those living in Scotland and Northern Ireland may see some ‘bright spells’ later today, but these will accompany ‘heavy showers’ – along with hail and thunder.
Number of named storms so far is ‘unusual’
Storm Jocelyn is the second named storm in 36 hours. This season is quickly catching up to the record year of named storms, 2015.
In that year – when the practice of naming storms began – holds the record for the highest number of storms – reaching as far down the alphabet as Storm Katie.
But this year is likely to break that record, with 10 storms battering the country already.
Liz Bentley, the head of the Royal Meteorological Society, told The Guardian that to have so many named storms this season is ‘unusual’.
Beachgoers venture out in the stormy weather
The stormy weather doesn’t seem to bother some Brits, as avid beachgoers are pictured out in the rain and wind.
Brits are sharing videos of wind gusts tearing through their gardens
Brits are taking to social media to post videos of the windy conditions in their area.
Gusts of 80mph could be experienced in some areas, with 40-50mm of rain possible over higher ground.
How to claim compensation if your flight is cancelled:
Anton Radchenko CEO of AirAdvisor, a company that has helped over 200,000 airline passengers with flight compensation claims, outlined passenger rights, the amount of compensation they might be due – and why to not accept vouchers.
He said: ‘Under both UK and EU regulations, if your flight was cancelled due to Storm Isha or Jocelyn, the airline must provide a replacement flight or cover the cost of a journey on any other airline that has seats on the next available flight, should you still wish to travel.
‘In terms of compensation, travellers whose flights are cancelled less than two weeks’ before they were set to travel have the right to cash compensation of between £220 for shorter journeys and up to £520 for longer journeys, unless your airline can book you on an alternative flight that arrives close to your original arrival time.
‘Airlines often initially try to offer compensation in the form of vouchers. We suggest to our clients that they refuse vouchers and avoid signing agreements accepting vouchers as a form of compensation, as airlines may later try to use this kind of documentation to reject your claim. Bear in mind that passenger regulations require airlines to pay compensation in cash.’
Drivers are being urged to consider postponing journeys and avoid parking under trees
RAC spokesperson Alice Simpson said: ‘With so much heavy rainfall and debris on the roads, driving conditions will be very challenging, especially across northern parts of the country where the weather is at its worst.
‘Visibility will be severely reduced due to the spray from lorries and other large vehicles, and the amount of water on the roads will increase stopping distances.
‘We urge drivers to consider postponing their journeys in these areas if at all possible. Those that do need to drive should try to avoid exposed coastal routes where strong winds will make driving much more difficult.
‘The best advice is to slow down significantly, leave plenty of room behind the vehicle in front and be aware of unexpected obstructions en route like fallen trees and branches, particularly on rural roads.
‘We also suggest drivers avoid parking underneath or near to trees.’
Isle of Wight ferries delayed or cancelled
Ferries travelling between Southampton in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight have been disrupted by Storm Jocelyn.
Those attempting to board Red Jet ferries should expect delays and ‘possible cancellations’ lasting until this evening.
Likewise, there is ‘potential for delays’ on Vehicle ferries.
The Red Jet ferries are suspended ‘until further notice’ because of the bad weather conditions.
Pictured: Flooding in York
Scotland suffered a ‘huge amount of damage’ over the last few days with more travel disruption expected
Martin Thomson, national operations manager for resilience at Transport Scotland, said: ‘Across the wider network, we can expect to see more delays and cancellations with ferries, flights and rail from Tuesday into Wednesday morning.’
Liam Sumpter, route director for Network Rail Scotland, said Storm Isha caused ‘a huge amount of damage’ and teams have been working ‘around the clock’ to remove fallen trees and debris, and repair damaged infrastructure.
He said: ‘While we are continuing to reopen routes when it is safe to do so, we unfortunately expect even more disruption in the coming days as Storm Jocelyn arrives in Scotland.
‘If you’re planning on travelling by train this week, please check the status of your journey with your train operator.
‘We’re also urging lineside neighbours to make sure that garden furniture and equipment are secure as in high winds, this can blow onto the railway, causing damage and disruption.’
Storm Jocelyn causes flight cancellations
British Airways has grounded 10 flights today due to the storm disruption.
Most are to or from London Heathrow, but a flight from London City Airport to Rotterdam has also been cancelled.
Ryanair also warned of ‘potential disruptions’ and said they would notify any passengers affected.
This comes after the 100mph gales of Storm Isha left some travellers very confused when their planes were diverted – some to another country.
Titanic Museum closed after damage to roof
The Titanic Belfast, a self-guided museum offering nine interactive galleries which re-tell the story of the Titanic, has been forced to close.
Customers are being warned not to travel to the tourist attraction today.
Storm Isha damaged the roof of the building and the incoming Storm Jocelyn has prevented access for repairs.
Siobhan Lynch, Director of Operations at Titanic Belfast, said the decision was taken for the ‘safety of the public and our staff’.
Pre-booked customers will be notified and refunded.
Met Office issues Yellow rain warning
The Met Office has issued a Yellow warning for heavy rain across parts of Wales.
It’s in place from 12:30 to 7pm today.
The forecaster warned the rain could result in the flooding of a few places.
Workers try and catch up after chaos of Storm Isha before Jocelyn arrives
This is the full list of storm names for 2023-2024
Met Office has shared a full list of storm names for 2023-24. The letters, Q, U, X, Y and Z do not appear as it is in line with the US National Hurricane Centre naming convention.
Agnes
Babet
Ciarán
Debi
Elin
Fergus
Gerrit
Henk
Isha
Jocelyn
Kathleen
Lilian
Minnie
Nicholas
Olga
Piet
Stuart
Tamiko
Vincent
Walid
Commuters in London struggle with their umbrellas in the strong winds
Gusts of up to 80mph are expected today with weather warnings issued for most of the UK.
Dramatic photos show flooding in York this morning
Images show flooding after a river in York burst its banks.
Workmen desperately try to clear up the damage from Storm Isha before Jocelyn rolls in
Photos show the damage still in place from the last storm as the second in 48 hours is set to tear through the UK
Storm Jocelyn is named after an astrophysicist
The latest storm to batter the UK is named after Jocelyn Bell Burnell, an astrophysicist born in Northern Ireland.
Normally, storms get their names from a list of favourites submitted by the public.
But for the 2023-2024 season, this has been swapped in favour of naming them after prominent scientists, meteorologists, and those who ‘work to keep people safe’ when severe weather hits.
Dame Jocelyn discovered the first radio pulsars in 1967 when she was a postgraduate student.. This was a discovery which eventually earned a Nobel Prize in 1974, but she wasn’t one of the recipients.
She told ITV that at the time, science was very ‘male dominated’ and the prestigious award was seen as a ‘senior man’s prize’.
There are currently 13 flood warnings in place as Storm Jocelyn hits
There are 13 flood warnings in place – meaning flooding is expected – across the UK.
A further 82 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible, have also been issued.
The flood warnings are for:
Bourne Valley,
Avon Valley
Keswick Campsite
Upper Hull
Donnington to Newbury
Upper Lambourn to Great Shefford
Naburn Lock
River Ouse at York, including St George’s Field and Queen’s Staith
Cantley, Brundall and Reedham
Kirby Wiske
Hempholne
South Creake to Burham Thorpe
The main high street in the Cumbrian village of Appleby was underwater last night after a river broke its bank following Storm Isha.
Fallen trees are delaying repairs to power lines in Northern Ireland
NIE Networks said last night that power has been restored to 40,000 customers, but 13,000 are still without.
This is because fallen trees and debris are blocking access routes and delaying repair efforts.
Thousands are still without electricity this morning with Storm Jocelyn set to rip through the country
Electricity North West has apologised to customers ‘waking up to your second day without power’.
It said that food vans are available for those who need them from 9:30am.
Progress was achieved overnight with power restored to 55,000 properties, with 2,000 more to go.
A spokesperson said: ‘We know it can be worrying when storms hit and impact your home or business. We’ll do all we can to get you back on as quickly and safely as possible.
‘Our teams are ready to respond wherever we are needed. During the high winds it’s unsafe for our colleagues to carry out repairs at height, so it is likely to may take longer than usual to restore and repair the network.
‘To help stay safe, we recommend you keep any mobile phones on charge, have a torch and blanket close to hand and, if you can, stay in touch with neighbours and family members.’
Photos show drivers bracing the rain this morning, attempting to get to work
These photos show traffic driving through rain on the M4 near Bridgend this morning.
How many people died in Storm Isha?
A beloved father-of-five whose car veered off a flooded road is among five people killed by Storm Isha after it battered the UK and Ireland over the weekend.
Jimmy Rowe, who was in his 40s, had just dropped off his daughter when he tragically died after his vehicle crashed in County Mayo, in Ireland, on Sunday evening.
Elsewhere a man was mortally injured in Bradford after plunging down a manhole when safety barriers shielding the area were blown away by the high winds brought by the storm.
There were also tragedies in Falkirk in Scotland, Londonderry in Northern Ireland and County Louth in Ireland when vehicles were involved in crashes with fallen trees, leaving two men and one woman dead.
As Storm Isha passes communities will spend today trying to recover from the chaos, but there will belittle respite as another storm, Jocelyn, powers in from the Atlantic in the afternoon.
Click below to read more.
Heavy rain is expected today, but the damage from the storm will be a ‘step down’ from Isha, The Met Office says
Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Steve Willington, said: ‘Although this system will be a step down relative to Storm Isha, with the damage and clean up still underway, we could potentially see more impacts from Storm Jocelyn.
‘Outbreaks of heavy rain on Tuesday could bring rainfall accumulations of 15 to 20 mm quite widely with 40 to 50 mm over higher ground in southwest Scotland, the Scottish Highlands and parts of northwest England.
‘Wind gusts are expected to reach 55 to 65 mph across northwestern Scotland while there is potential for winds to gust to 75 to 80 mph in a few places, in particular, exposed parts of the Western Isles and coastal northwest Scotland early on Wednesday morning.’
Severe flooding from Storm Isha left many cars stranded in the water.
What weather warnings are in place today?
From 12:00 today to 3pm tomorrow, a Yellow wind warning is in place. This means bus and train services will likely be affected and journeys will take longer. Those living by the sea will see large waves and sea spray batter the coastline.
From 6pm today until 8am tomorrow, an Amber wind warning is in place for western and northern Scotland. This means there is a good chance of power cuts and issues with mobile phone coverage.
There will likely be some damage to buildings, with tiles blown from roofs. Some roads and bridges may close.
The Met Office warned that ‘injuries and danger to life’ are likely from large waves and beach material thrown onto roads and properties near the coast.
Met Office issues ‘danger to life’ warning a day after Isha chaos that left five dead
Another weather system will bring ‘danger to life’ gales and downpours on Tuesday night and into Wednesday for much of the northern half of the country, The Met Office said.
Amber and yellow weather warnings for wind have been issued covering much of the UK, together with yellow warnings for rain covering parts of western and southern Scotland, and north-west England.
A yellow warning for ice has also been issued across northern and eastern parts of Scotland.
Gusts of 80mph could be experienced in exposed areas, with 40-50mm of rain possible over higher ground, the forecaster said.
Click below to read more.
Many workers face a wet commute today with more rain on the way – and many areas are still flooded
This Canal and River Trust worker wades through flood water at Naburn Lock on the outskirts of York this morning.
Storm Jocelyn will bring more wind and rain to the UK after Storm Isha left two people dead and one seriously injured.
Schools are closing across the country in preparation for the storm
Many schools reported major power cuts, no heating and damage to school buildings caused by Storm Isha.
But due to the weather warnings in place for the next 48 hours, schools such as Shankhill CofE Primary School in Carlisle and St Matthews RC Primary School in Cumberland are closed today.
Also closed is Appleby Primary School. The area was inundated with floods during Storm Isha.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue service rescue several people from flooding
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said crews were sent to Morton-on-Swale, North Yorks to rescue four vehicles that were trapped by the floods.
One woman who was rescued told ITV Calendar News it was a ‘terrifying experience’.
Storm Jocelyn comes hot on the heels of Storm Isha
The bad weather comes as Brits are still suffering the devastating impacts of Storm Isha.
Isha left cars crushed under trees, roofs ripped off buildings, 70,000 homes without power and an 84-year-old man dead.
Thousands of people have been left without power as the storm brought disruption to the electricity and transport networks across the UK.
In Scotland, an 84-year-old man was killed after a Hyundai car crashed into a fallen tree on the A905, Beancross Road in Grangemouth at around 11.45pm last night. Police said he was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other occupants of the vehicle were not injured.
In Northern Ireland a man in his 60s has died in a road collision involving two vans and a fallen tree in Limavady, Co Londonderry, on Sunday night, the Police Service of Northern Ireland has said. The man in the second van, a Citreon Berlingo, has been taken to hospital for treatment.
A third man died falling into a manhole after its safety barriers were toppled by the strong winds in Highgate Road, Bradford, when winds topping 80mph battered the north of England.
Rail companies are warning Brits not to travel as the UK braces for Storm Jocelyn
TransPennine Express has warned their customers against traveling from 3pm today until 12:00 tomorrow after the Met Office issued Yellow and Amber weather warnings.
There will also be no ScotRail services from 7pm this evening until Wednesday morning due to severe weather, the company announced.
National Rail has advised LNER customers traveling north of Newcastle today not to attempt the journey. There will also be no CrossCountry services running north of the city after 5:30pm.
Met Office map shows areas of UK to be battered with 80mph gales
A fresh ‘danger to life’ warning has been issued as 80mph winds are set to hit the UK again today as Storm Jocelyn hits the UK – a day after Storm Isha battered Britain, killing three.
Almost all of the UK is set to be pummelled by the new tempest, with amber warnings for wind threatening a likely possibility of damage to buildings, power cuts and injuries from large waves.
The strongest winds are expected to affect western and northern Scotland from Tuesday evening, while yellow warnings for heavy rain have also been put in place for much of England.
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Storm Jocelyn LIVE: Trains cancelled after 80mph winds hit the UK – as Met Office warns of further power cuts