Storm Ciaran is approaching the British Isles. The storm brings wind gusts of up to 145 kilometers per hour and heavy rainfall. Flood warnings are in force in parts of the country, including places that are already struggling with flooding.
According to the British meteorological agency Met Office, it is heading towards the Islands storm Ciaran. Although the element will reach Northern Ireland, Wales and southern England only on Wednesday evening, it was preceded by a zone of heavy rainfall, which is already making life miserable for the inhabitants of Great Britain.
The situation is currently most difficult in Northern Ireland, where local flooding is occurring and police have advised people to refrain from traveling.
Flooding in Northern IrelandENEX
Gusts up to 145 kilometers per hour
Due to the approaching storm, the Met Office has issued a weather alert. Yellow alerts for heavy rainfall, which will apply until Wednesday or Thursday, cover all of Northern Ireland, the entire south and north-eastern coast of England and the entire coast of Wales. Orange alerts due to severe weather will appear across large areas of southern England on Thursday.
The reports indicate that strong wind gusts reaching speeds of 145 kilometers per hour are expected in southern England and the Channel Islands archipelago. The Met Office advises that there may be serious transport disruptions. It is expected that plane flights and train services will be canceled and roads may be blocked.
Residents of the island of Jersey near the coast of France were warned of the impending disaster. Some ferries have been suspended in the region. Kevin Murphy, Jersey’s emergency planning officer, told the BBC that the island’s coordination group was carrying out an “extensive review of potential threats”.
“The situation is developing and we are closely monitoring changing weather patterns,” he said.
Flooding over the weekend
The storm will be accompanied by heavy rainfall, locally reaching up to 60 liters per square meter. Flood alerts have been issued for parts of England, Wales and Scotland. This is bad news for the inhabitants of many regions, because they have been experiencing downpours for many weeks – less than two weeks ago, storm Babet raged there and caused enormous damage.
It’s not just large, named storm systems that pose a threat. Over the weekend in Hastings, southern England, rainwater rushed into a shopping center, forcing its evacuation. The situation was also difficult at the other end of the country, in County Durham, where several meters of “layer of water” fell for twelve hours in one of the villages. In many places, the soil is completely saturated with water, making it difficult to drain and increasing the risk of flooding.
Main photo source: PAP/EPA/ADAM VAUGHAN