Storm Elin, Storm Fergus duo lash UK with wet and windy weatheron December 9, 2023 at 4:05 pm

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Flood warnings, service disruptions and power failures are in place for much of the country.

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Strong winds and heavy rain have caused disruption around the UK as two storms track across the country.

Met Office yellow weather warnings are in place through much of the country, with one warning in north west England in place until 3:00 GMT on Sunday.

The conditions have already impacted some train lines, with warnings of further disruptions to be expected.

Four League Two football matches were also postponed due to waterlogged pitches.

The wet and windy conditions are being caused by two storms tracking one after the other across the Atlantic Ocean and over the UK.

Storm Elin had drenched and battered much of the country by Saturday afternoon, while Storm Fergus was expected to have a similar impact on Sunday.

Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said the band of heavy wind and rain will move from the south-west of the UK towards the north-east on Saturday, “bringing with it heavy rain for much of the country”.

“We will also be seeing some quite strong winds in Wales, the Midlands, northern England and Northern Ireland, particularly coastal communities around the Irish Sea,” he said.

On what was causing the stormy weather, BBC weather’s Tomasz Schafernaker said: “The weather can become turbulent due to a strong jet stream spawning multiple areas of low pressure.

“It’s not uncommon for these lows to intensify into storms, impacting Ireland and the UK in rapid succession.

“On this occasion, Ireland’s Met Eireann named both storms Elin and Fergus, anticipating the most significant impact to be felt in Ireland from these two storms.”

Since 2015, the UK and Irish weather services have named storms – most years,drawing on a shortlist of submitted favourites– with the aim of making it easier for the public to engage with the more extreme weather. The Dutch service also became part of the naming group in 2019.

The Met Weather Office issued a yellow warning for rain for an area stretching from Carlisle to Sheffield until 3:00 GMT on Sunday.

The yellow warning indicates potential flooding, service disruptions and power failures.

flooding on the track

Image source, Great Western Railway

An image taken in Nairn in the Highlands

Image source, Casper/Weather Watchers

A beach scene in Felixstowe, Suffolk with stormy conditions and water seen to be blowing off the sea

Image source, Squiz/Weather Watchers

There are also flood alerts in place, which stretch as far north as Scotland and as south as Cornwall.

In Cornwall, rail lines are blocked between Liskeard and Looe due to “heavy flooding”, Great Western Railway (GWR) said. The operator urged passengers to use Go Cornwall buses instead.

The Environment Agency has issued a reminder that people should not to enter flood waters as it can contain hidden dangers including sharp objects, sewage, uncovered manholes and chemicals.

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