People are preparing for travel disruption as Storm Doris arrives in the UK with winds close to 90 mph.
Severe weather warnings have been issued for north Wales, East Anglia, northern England and the Midlands and it is snowing in higher areas of Scotland.
Numerous flights have already been cancelled at Heathrow airport and commuters are expected to face both rail and road delays.
As the storm headed to the UK, an 87mph gust of wind was recorded on the Galway coast in the Republic of Ireland.
In the early hours of the morning, gusts of up to 72 mph were recorded in west Wales, while in parts of Scotland it is predicted that snow will reach 10 to 15 cm deep.
Disruption so Far
- Heathrow has cancelled 77 flights and said that due to the poor weather its schedule has been reduced to 10%
- Aer Lingus has cancelled nearly all of the flights between the Republic of Ireland and the UK.
- Network Rail has imposed speed limits of 5mph on numerous train lines which will affect Grand central, East Midlands Trains, Chiltern Railways, Arrival Trains, Great Northern and South Eastern services
- The AA has reported major traffic disruptions on main roads including the A460 and A5 due to blockages as a result of the bad weather.
A spokesperson for Heathrow said, “With Heathrow operating at more than 99% capacity, there are no gaps in the schedule that can be used for delayed flights and as a result some passengers travelling may experience disruption to their journeys.”
Damage to buildings and interruptions to power supplies are likely from the storm, which weather forecasters likened to a “weather bomb”.
Forecasters also say there is a risk of flooding in Northern Ireland and even at lower levels in the south of Scotland and northern England. However, the Environment Agency has not issued any flood warnings for the UK.
It is expected that more wind and rain will continue throughout the weekend and even into next week however it will not be as severe as experienced with Storm Doris.
Following Storm Angus in November and Barbara and Connor in December, Doris is the latest to be named by the Met Office.
Kirsty Rogers, Pali Ltd
