High wind warning issued in wake of Storm Darragh
Forecasters say strong winds will continue to lash Britain on Sunday in the wake of Storm Darragh, which killed two people and left thousands without power.
The Met Office has issued four yellow weather warnings for wind South-east Scotland as well as much of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Inland areas are more likely to see winds of 35-45 mph, and coastal areas may see gusts up to 70 mph, meaning some travel disruption and further power outages are possible.
The Met Office issued a rare red weather warning for wind on Saturday as Storm Darragh swept across Britain with gusts of up to 93mph.
Two victims of Saturday’s storm were killed in separate incidents when trees fell on their vehicles in Lancashire and the West Midlands.
The Energy Networks Association said Saturday evening that 259,000 customers were still without power.
It said engineers would be working through the night and into Sunday to restore power.
The Northern Ireland electricity network said more than 20,000 properties were without power on Saturday evening and warned it could take several days for supplies to be fully restored. At the peak of the storm, more than 48,000 premises were affected.
Sixty-four flood warnings – meaning flooding is expected – and 147 flood warnings are in place across parts of England after heavy rain, According to the Environment Agency,
Natural Resources Wales says in Wales, which is still recovering from flooding left by Storm Bert last month 25 flood warnings and 49 alerts are in forceScottish Environmental Protection Agency Two flood warnings have been issued,
There is also likely to be continued disruption to rail travel, with National Rail warning passengers to check their journey before travelling.
It said there was likely to be “significant disruption with heavy rain and wind” to services in south-west Scotland, north and south-west England and Wales.
Operators including Chiltern Railways, Great Western Railways, Northern, LNER and Transport for Wales are currently facing delays and cancellations.
Belfast International Airport said a full flight schedule was planned for Sunday but there could be delays.
Storm Darragh was the fourth named storm of the season, following Burt and Connolly the previous month.
