Storm Ciara news: Man killed by falling tree and more than 500 homes flooded amid heavy rains
Follow how the day unfolded
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.More than 20,000 homes have spent the night without power as the UK continues to reel from Storm Ciara.
UK Power Networks reported more than 18,500 properties across the east and southeast of England were still without power as of 5am Monday while Western Power Distribution said more than 2,800 homes were in the dark.
Parts of the UK continue to brace for blizzards and up to 20cm of snow in the wake of the storm, with travel disruption set to continue.
Some areas saw a month and a half’s rainfall in just 24 hours and gusts of more than 90mph swept across the country on Sunday. Meanwhile, 178 flood warnings in place across the country.
Twelve sheep rescued from floodwater
People and livestock have had to be been rescued from flooding in Northern Ireland caused by the aftermath of Storm Ciara.
Firefighters helped two people trapped in a car in floodwater to safety in the Lisnawery Road area of Augher, Co Tyrone, early on Sunday morning.
They pushed the car out of the water at about 8am and the pair escaped without injury.
A couple of hours later, firefighters rescued 12 sheep from floodwater using lines and a reach pole at an incident in the Cavan Road of Dromore, Co Tyrone.
Meanwhile on Saturday night, a pump was used to divert water away from 15 houses at risk in Laragh's Croft in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh.
Lifeboat almost capsizes during rescue operation
A lifeboat crew braved the choppy waters in Hastings after a surfer was washed out to sea during Storm Ciara on Sunday.
Footage on social media showed an RNLI boat close to capsizing as it searched for the surfer, who later washed up near Rock-A-Nore.
David Silsby, who witnessed the events, began to film the rescue operation just before the boat was hit by a large wave which threatened to overturn it.
He said: "I was genuinely shocked and worried that they might completely capsize. I am incredibly grateful for these brave people who put their lives on the line."
Overturned lorry closes part of M48
The old M48 Severn Bridge is closed in both directions after a lorry overturned in high winds.
Highways England said the bridge is expected to remain closed for some time until the winds die down enough to allow for the vehicle to be recovered.
The driver reportedly has minor head injuries, according to BBC Radio Bristol.
Train passengers stranded for six hours
Passengers were stuck on a train for six hours after Storm Ciara snapped overhead cables.
The train, which was travelling from Preston to Birmingham, encountered problems outside of Winsford station in Cheshire on Sunday afternoon, the Winsford and Middlewich Guardian reports.
Another train, travelling in the opposite direction, was used to ferry people back and forth as they were rescued during a "train to train" evacuation.
Kite surfer catapulted into air by 94mph winds
A kite surfer was catapulted 20 metres into the air by 94mph Storm Ciara winds.
Red Bull athlete Tom Bridge, 18, travelled up to 100 metres as he braved the winds off the coast of Exmouth, in Devon, on Sunday.
Images by Red Bull Media House
Emergency funding scheme activated
Communities secretary Robert Jenrick has activated the government's emergency Bellwin scheme for areas in the north of England affected by Storm Ciara.
The scheme - activated for qualifying areas in West Yorkshire, Cumbria and Lancashire - enables local authorities dealing with the storm to apply to have all of the eligible costs they incur, above a threshold, to be reimbursed by the government.
Mr Jenrick said: "Storm Ciara has had damaging effects on communities in the north of England, and I want to praise the efforts of the emergency services and key agencies who have responded to the disruption.
"We're working closely with local areas to support them in their recovery. I've activated the emergency Bellwin scheme to provide financial support to qualifying affected areas."
Planes forced to abort landings amid high winds
Planes struggled to land and some were forced to abort landings amid high winds from Storm Ciara on Sunday, write Cathy Adams and Simon Calder.
Footage shared on social media shows aircraft grappling with Storm Ciara's heavy rain and gales, which reached 90mph on Sunday and caused widespread disruption.
Big Jet TV shared a clip of a British Airways Boeing 777 coming into land at Heathrow in a haze of rain, before taking off again to perform a “go-around” – in what is known as a "touch and go," a technique normally used for pilot training where the wheels temporarily make contact with the runway.
Sheep captured foraging for food in snow-covered field
These images show sheep searching for food in a snow-covered field near Killiecrankie, in Scotland.
Blair Castle was also pictured covered in the white stuff in Blair Atholl.
Images by Russell Cheyne/Reuters
Second storm victim
An elderly man has reportedly died after falling and banging his head in icy conditions in West Dumbartonshire, Scotland.
The man, believed to be 77 years, fell in Kilbowie Road, Clydebank, at about 11am on Sunday.
Emergency services rushed to his aid but sadly the man could not be saved.
The first reported fatality of the storm was a 58-year-old man who died after his Mercedes was crushed my a falling tree on the A33 near the village of Micheldever, in Hampshire.
The first reported fatality during the storm was on Sunday afternoon on the A33 in Hampshire, when a driver was killed when a tree crushed his car.
Horses rescued from severely flooded field
Two horses had a lucky escape in Barnsley after they were pulled from a severely flooded field by firefighters.
South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue was called to assess the situation and found the animals trapped with water up to their stomachs.
Water levels continued to rise further so officers donned specialist equipment in order to guide them to safety.
The fire service praised the officers involved, tweeting: "Excellent work from #Adwick and #Edlington firefighters yesterday - helping two horses out of a very sticky situation in #Barnsley!
"A nice tale in and amongst the awful destruction that #StormCiara has caused over the weekend."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments