Storm Bella hits UK bringing 100mph winds, flooding and travel disruption

Powerful gusts help UK generate almost half its power from wind

Hurricane-force winds buffeted England and Wales early on Sunday as Storm Bella triggered weather warnings across much of Britain.

Gusts of more than 100mph were recorded on the Isle of Wight and several people in Yorkshire had to be rescued by emergency services after they were left stranded in their flooded cars.

The storm brought disruption on roads and railways, while amber warnings from the Met Office remained in force until 9am on Sunday as the storm continued to pass across the country.

On Saturday evening, a gust of 83mph was recorded at Aberdaron in north Wales, according to the Met Office. In the early hours of Sunday, gusts reached 79mph on the Isle of Portland in Dorset and 74mph in Mount Batten, near Plymouth, Devon.

At about 3am, the Needles Coastwatch Station on the Isle of Wight recorded gusting winds of 106mph.

“Were Bella a tropical storm it would now be a category 2 hurricane according to Saffir-Simpson scale,” the station tweeted.

Heavy rain had already brought misery over the Christmas period, and yellow weather warnings remain in place for snow and ice affecting north Wales, northwest England, and Northern Ireland and Scotland.

A band of rain, sleet and snow is forecast throughout Sunday and Monday, with possible accumulations of 1-3cm of snow.

A further 88 flood warnings have been issued in England, six in Wales and 12 in Scotland.

Flood defences had been put up in St Neots, Cambridgeshire, ahead of the overnight storm, and extra pumps deployed to the Welches Dam and Soham Lodge areas.

Fire crews in North Yorkshire rescued a number of people from vehicles stranded in floodwater overnight.

All trains between Bournemouth and Southampton Central were stopped because of water on the line, Great Western Railway said, and one of the major lines into London was blocked when a tree fell on to the tracks in Haslemere, Surrey.

In Kent, Southeastern train services were disrupted after a trampoline was blown on to the railway line between Gillingham and Rainham.

Southern said lines were closed between Ashford and Hastings and between Hastings and Eastbourne because of two trees that had fallen on the line. The rail operator advised against travelling.

Roads were closed in Gloucestershire because of flooding and the Met Office has warned of dangerous conditions for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers across the swathe of the UK that is forecast to see snow and ice.

Through the evening and into Monday, meteorologists are warning that the wintry conditions could also pose a risk to more central and southern areas of England.

Further into the week and towards the new year, conditions will remain cold, with sunshine and the possibility of wintry showers, the Met Office said.

Storm Bella enabled the UK grid to generate almost half of its power from wind overnight.  

The MyGrid UK monitoring service said 48.9 per cent of the UK’s electricity mix was from wind at 11pm on Boxing Day.

France was also hit by strong winds, with a weather station at the top of the Eiffel Tower recording gusts of 75mph.

Five regions along the northern French coast are under an amber weather warning and heavy snow is forecast elsewhere in the country. 

Strong winds forced several planes bound for Paris to divert to Dutch and German cities.