Storm Debi – live: London weather warning extended as Met Office warns of lightning damage to buildings
Yellow warnings currently in place as blustering winds and flooding wreak havoc across UK
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Your support makes all the difference.A yellow weather warning for thunderstorms, heavy rain and severe gale-force wings has been extended across London and southern England, as Storm Debi continues to batter parts of the UK.
The Met Office has warned of potential damage to buildings from lightning strikes or strong winds, as well as a chance of power cuts, and possible travel disruption and delays.
In its update on Tuesday, the forecaster said the warning area has been adjusted to focus on southern and southeast England, with the end time delayed until mid-afternoon. The warning has been in place since 5am and was supposed to run until midday but has now been extended to 3pm.
It comes as multiple “danger to life” weather warnings were issued across the country on Monday.
High winds and rain from Storm Debi were causing road closures and disruption to public transport across Northern Ireland, as the Met Office warned of “danger to life” from flying debris, “fast flowing or deep floodwater”, and large waves in some areas.
Strong winds have also been recorded in the region on Tuesday morning, with the highest reaching 74mph at Killowen in Co Down.
A week's worth of rain to fall on UK
A week's worth of rain could fall in just a few hours across parts of the UK today as wet weather continues to batter the country.
The Met Office said 15-20mm of rain could hit parts of southern England and has issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms in that region.
The warning runs from 5am until midday on Tuesday and covers London, the south east and the south west of England.
"A week's worth of rain could fall in an hour or two in that warning area and you could see wind speeds of 40-50mph," Met Office meteorologist Marco Petagna said.
Some buildings could be damaged by lightning strikes or strong, gusty winds - while short power cuts are also considered "likely".
Drivers and those thinking of taking a bus should expect their journeys to be longer due to spray, standing water and hail.
Trains and planes may also be delayed due to adverse weather conditions.
That’s it for now
We’ll start up again in the morning to bring coverage of the expected storms across southern England
‘Probably some damage to a few buildings'
The yellow weather warning from the Met Office for thunderstorms tomorrow morning warns of “some damage to a few buildings and structures from lightning strikes or strong and gusty winds”.
There will also be possible delays to train services, and short term loss of power, as a band of squally, thundery rain pushes across the region.
Tuesday morning
It will be a blustery start to the day for southern England on Tuesday with a band of squally, thundery rain is likely to push quickly east through the morning
Shopworker trapped in floods as south Galway businesses devastated
A shopworker had to be rescued by the emergency services as flooding devastated a row of businesses in south Galway,
Storm Debi caused chaos in the county early on Monday, particularly in Oranmore, where boats were washed off their moorings and shops flooded by sea water.
Ronan Hennigan, who owns the Londis supermarket in nearby Clarinbridge, said one of his workers called him at 4.35am to tell him water was getting into the shop.
Shopworker trapped in floods as south Galway businesses devastated
A supermarket owner in Clarinbridge has described how the waters rose to 10 feet in 10 minutes on Monday.
Debi ‘probably the most intense storm’ this season as Ireland left reeling
Storm Debi is the fourth storm to affect Ireland since September, after Storms Babet and Ciaran left shops and homes in Midleton, Carlingford and Newry as well as elsewhere flooded after intense rainfall.
The Irish national director for fire and emergency management said Storm Debi is “probably the most intense storm” of the season so far.
Keith Leonard said: “It was probably the high winds of that leading edge of the storm as it came across the country that was the most hazardous piece.
“So probably the most intense storm we’ve had so far in the season.”
Yellow wind and rain warnings were in place in Northern Ireland on Monday, with amber warnings issued for counties Down and Armagh.
Some roads flooded and public transport services were disrupted, with around 2,000 customers left without power, mainly around Craigavon, Newry and Downpatrick.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar sorry about impact of severe weather in Ireland
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he is sorry to hear about the impact of Storm Debi on parts of Ireland, adding it is the Government’s intention to expand a support scheme for businesses affected by the severe weather on Monday.
Mr Varadkar said: “I’m really sorry to hear about the impact of the severe weather around the country. I know it’s been particularly hard in Galway - both in the city and the county area.”
He said the enterprise support scheme, which was introduced following flooding in Midleton last month, has to go through a formal Government decision to be expanded to Galway, but added this is “really just a formality”.
“We really want to help businesses get back on their feet, particularly so close to Christmas, which is such an important time for retail sector and the hospitality sector in particular.”
Storm Debi: Streets turn to rivers and dangerous winds batter UK
An amber warning has been issued in parts of the north-east of England as Storm Debi hits the UK, bringing heavy rain and gale-force winds. The amber alert, issued if there is an increased likelihood of impacts from severe weather, came from the Met Office with the storm having already disrupted travel and cut power in some regions. Including power outages in thousands of homes and businesses in the Republic of Ireland. The amber warning is active from 10am to 4pm on Monday and covers coastal areas north of Liverpool and up to Whitehaven.
Storm Debi causes travel chaos, with 50 British Airways flights cancelled and trains and ferries affected
Storm Debi brought wind gusts of more than 70mph to parts of Britain and Ireland on Monday, disrupting travel and leaving more than 100,000 without power.
British Airways cancelled 50 flights to and from London Heathrow, while ferries and trains were also disrupted.
Gusts of 77mph were recorded in Gwynedd, 74mph at Killowen in Northern Ireland and 68mph on the Isle of Man as the low pressure system moved across the Irish Sea.
Storm Debi causes travel chaos with flights, trains and ferries cancelled
Flooding and fallen trees have also caused havoc for rail passengers across England and Scotland
Gusts over 70mph recorded as Storm Debi blows in
Gusts of over 70mph were recorded across the UK as Storm Debi blew in.
An amber weather warning for wind – meaning buildings could be damaged and travel disruption was likely – remained in place on Monday afternoon for North West England.
Severe gales caused power cuts across the island of Ireland, with around 100,000 homes and businesses left without electricity.
Gusts over 70mph recorded as Storm Debi blows in
The Met Office’s amber warning for wind remains in place on Monday afternoon for North West England.
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