While Storm Ciaran weakens, the threat of flooding remains high in the south of England and other parts of the UK. Moving into Europe, the storm has brought record rainfall to Italy, and has killed five people in the country.
The threat of flooding from Storm Ciaran remains high with schools shut and people being told to stay at home as the UK feels the after-effects of its devastating 100mph winds.
The extreme weather looks set to continue to bring heavy downpours and strong winds – with the Met Office extending a yellow weather warning for rain to cover more parts of southern England between 5am and midnight on Saturday.
A yellow weather warning for heavy rain across eastern Scotland remains in force until 5pm on Friday, warning of difficult driving conditions, delays or cancellations to train and bus services and a small chance of fast-flowing water or deep floods.
More than 50 flood warnings and over 200 alerts are in place across the UK with river levels still high, saturated ground and large waves battering the coast.
They mostly cover the south coast, but parts of Wales, East Anglia, the Midlands and northeast England are also affected.
Rail services remain disrupted – with LNER, the main train operator on the East Coast Main Line between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh Waverley, advised passengers not to travel until Saturday.
With trains and staff out of position following power supply failures on Thursday, delays and cancellations were expected.
Five-day forecast where you are
Huge wave sweeps person over
Nearly 150,000 homes were left without power during the storm and by 4pm on Thursday, around 11,300 properties still had no electricity. Around 135,700 had been reconnected, the Energy Networks Association (ENA) said.
A spokesperson said: “While difficult conditions remain, with violent winds forecast until the end of the day, teams from across the country are working together to continue to reconnect customers where it is safe to do so.”
Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern said: “Hopefully the worst of it is now easing at it moves away.
“Ciaran is moving into the North Sea. It’s weakening. It is filling but it’s still bringing quite a blustery wind to many places.”
Storm Ciaran’s devastating impact on Jersey
Hailstones ‘bigger than a golf ball’
Residents in Jersey have been urged to stay at home, with all schools still closed. The airport also remains shut – with only emergency flights allowed.
Schools in Guernsey and Alderney are open except for the College of Further Education, which suffered significant water damage.
The Met Office described the Channel Islands as having endured “supercell thunderstorms”, where residents faced frequent lightning, large hailstones and a possible hurricane.
Damage to properties in Jersey forced some residents to evacuate and seek refuge in a hotel, with one woman saying hailstones “bigger than a golf ball” had broken her windows.
Pondhu Primary School in St Austell, Cornwall, said it would remain closed on Friday due to extensive flooding, as it needs time to “dry and clean the building so the children can return safely”.
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Showers over weekend
Longer spells of rain will continue across northeast Scotland and parts of the Pennines later on Friday, but it will be quieter further south, Mr McGivern said.
The northwest will see showers over the weekend, as will northeast Scotland.
For Saturday afternoon and evening, the Met Office’s yellow weather warning for rain covers southern England, including Portsmouth and Brighton, with rain and gusty winds expected to cause travel disruption.
The AA, which had a large number of callouts in southern England, said on Thursday it had “rescued 84 customers stuck in flood so far today, with thousands more impacted by the weather”.
Heavy rains cause severe flooding in Milan
Five dead as Italy sees record rainfall
While the worst is over for the UK, the storm continues to push into Europe, bringing record rainfall.
At least five people in Italy have died as a result of the storm, which brought gusts of 104mph during the week.
The Italian government has declared a state of emergency for the flood-hit region of Tuscany.
Italian Civil Protection officials said 200mm of rain fell in a three-hour period stretching from the city of Livorno on the western coast to the inland valley of Mugello, which caused riverbanks to overflow.
Tuscany governor Eugenio Giani told Italian news channel Sky TG24: “There was a wave of water bombs without precedence.”
The mayor of Florence, Dario Nardella, also told the broadcaster that the Arno River, which runs through the centre of the city, had reached the first level of flood alert, with the highest levels forecast for midday.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
