Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Storm Lorenzo: UK braces for 65mph winds as dozens of flood alerts issued

Ex-hurricane due to make landfall in Ireland at midnight 

Zamira Rahim,Emma Snaith
Thursday 03 October 2019 18:20 BST
Comments
UK weather: The latest Met Office forecast

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Winds of up to 65mph are set to batter the western coast of Ireland as Storm Lorenzo heads towards the UK, bringing heavy rain and the risk of flash flooding.

The storm is due to make landfall on the western coast of Ireland at around midnight, Met Éireann said.

Ireland’s weather service warned that winds hitting the coast could reach up to 65 mph with gusts of up to 81 mph.

The orange weather alert for the counties of Kerry, Limerick, Clare, Galway and Mayo was earlier extended from 9pm on Thursday night to 6am on Friday morning. It was originally supposed to end at 3am.

Earlier in the day a number of flights were cancelled or diverted from Cork and Dublin Airports owing to strong winds as the storm approached.

Dramatic waves were seen crashing over sea walls on the western coast as ferocious winds were spotted whipping up the sand on beaches.

Irish Coast Guard teams were called on to respond to six emergency incidents with the worst weather yet to come.

However, there were more serene scenes across England, which awoke to a number of stunning sunrises across the country.

The former hurricane had brought in high-level cloud from the west which combined with the low sun to produce the views.

Manchester woke up to a spectacular sunrise as Storm Lorenzo approached the UK
Manchester woke up to a spectacular sunrise as Storm Lorenzo approached the UK (PA)

But heavy rain and strong winds are expected to spread across Wales and south western England on Friday as Storm Lorenzo move across the country.

A yellow warning for wind is in place from 4am to 4pm for southwest England, which may be hit by westerly winds travelling at 65mph.

Heavy rain has already caused chaos in the Isle of Man, where the Laxey River burst its banks on Tuesday, leaving villagers trapped in their homes by floodwater.

A major clean up operation is underway in the village of Laxey ahead of Lorenzo’s arrival.

Lorenzo, previously a Category 5 hurricane, was the largest recorded hurricane seen this far east in the Atlantic Ocean.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in