Rain and high wind warnings have been issued across the UK on Monday as Storm Isha continues to hit the country, bringing rain and gusts of up to 160 kilometres per hour.
Overnight, the storm left more than 55,000 homes in the UK without power due to strong gusts of wind and rainfall that triggered more than 80 flood warnings.
Northern Ireland is the worst affected with more than 45,000 power cuts, followed by the North West of England (8,000 cuts), Wales (3,000 cuts) and Cornwall with a few hundred, according to the BBC.
A rare red alert has also been issued in Scotland for strong winds lasting more than an hour, particularly in the north.
Scotland’s rail operator suspended services on Sunday night and into Monday’s rush hour. Air traffic control restrictions have also been in place both in the UK and Ireland, leading to some flight cancellations.
The Met Office, the national weather service, said on its social media that Storm Isha is now moving away. «However, it remains windy this morning and a yellow warning is in place until midday. Expect some disruption on Monday morning».
Parts of Britain have been battered by a series of gusty and wet storms since autumn that have downed trees, knocked out power and caused flooding in river valleys.
Isha is the ninth named storm since September.
On Sunday night, the Met Office issued a red warning — meaning «extremely strong winds causing danger to life, structural damage and disruption» — for the north-east coast of Scotland and advised people not to use the roads.
Network Rail, which owns the rail infrastructure in England, Scotland and Wales, said it was imposing speed limits on most lines to prevent locomotives from running into fallen trees and other debris.
Trains would be affected during the morning commute.
“Our weather specialists confirm that the forecast has worsened and there is a high probability of damage to Scotland’s railways. All passenger and freight services will be suspended from 19:00, with trains still on the network operating at reduced speeds,» Network Rail of Scotland said on X, formerly Twitter.
In western Ireland, the counties of Donegal, Galway and Mayo were warned of extremely strong and potentially destructive gusts from Sunday afternoon into the morning.
The Irish Met Office issued yellow wind warnings, with a red gale warning for coastal areas in the north, advising people to stay away from the coast.
Airlines cancelled 102 flights in and out of Dublin Airport on Sunday. The storm also forced more than 24 aborted landings, while 27 flights opted to divert to other airports, Dublin Airport said in a post on X.
