Image: Google Maps (Click on image for larger view.)
Fierce storms have battered Britain, with heavy rain and winds gusting up to 85mph. The latest round of unsettled weather added more misery to the January blues as people returned to work after the Christmas and New Year holidays. The bad weather meant some East Coast main line trains between London and Scotland had to start and terminate at Newcastle upon Tyne. Also, buses had to replace trains on some East Coast services between London and Harrogate and Hull. Drivers planning to use the Dartford Crossing between Kent and Essex were advised of possible delays due to gale-force winds. A Highways Agency spokesman said: "As a precaution, the East Tunnel will be closed to northbound, anti-clockwise traffic from 4am with the possibility of gales affecting the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge which normally carries clockwise, southbound traffic from the M25 across the Thames." The Met Office issued severe weather warnings across many regions of the UK. Forecasters told those living in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to be prepared, while localised flooding and a marked drop in temperature was expected for parts of Wales and north-west England. Scotland was braced for the harshest weather conditions - the Met Office has issued warnings for both snow and high winds. Parts of Wales saw gusts of more than 90mph in the early hours, with gusts of 93mph hitting Aberdaron in North Wales. Billy Payne, a forecaster for MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "Much of Wales and south-west England have had gusts of over 60mph this morning. "As low pressure comes in, central and south Scotland will bear the brunt of the winds today. We will see gusts of 70mph to 80mph, even 85mph in places." He warned of "heavy rain, stormy winds and severe gales with damaging gusts", but said the rain should clear most parts of the country by this afternoon.
- RSOE EDIS
No comments:
Post a Comment