A man died when a tree hit his car on a road in Hampshire, UK. This is the third fatality from Storm Bert, which brought heavy snowfall, downpours and gales, the BBC reported on Sunday. Many roads have been closed and there are also disruptions to rail traffic. On Saturday evening, thousands of homes were without electricity.
From Saturday, the element brings heavy rain and snow with strong winds to the British Isles. Gusts of over 130 kilometers per hour were recorded in Capel Curig, Wales.
Police in Hampshire, England, have reported the death of a man who died when a tree hit his car on a road near Winchester early Saturday morning. On Saturday, two other people died in road accidents during stormy weather – one in West Yorkshire and the other in Northamptonshire.
Houses without electricity, trains not running
On Saturday evening, 1,186 homes in Wales and 819 in southwest England were cut off from their electricity supply. At the peak, several tens of thousands of homes and businesses were without electricity.
In England, snowfall closed many roads and rail operators – including Northern Rail and Avanti West Coast – were forced to cancel dozens of services. The National Highways has issued a weather warning due to snow on roads in Yorkshire and in anticipation of blizzards across the north-east of England.
Roads under snow in Great BritainReuters
On Saturday, the start of Scotland's top flight match between Glasgow Rangers and Dundee United was delayed by 45 minutes. Several other matches in the Scottish leagues were canceled.
“Multi-hazard event”
Yellow weather warnings for rain and wind are in place for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. A total of 35 flood warnings remain in force across England, mainly in the north-west.
The British weather agency Met Office describes storm Bert as a “multi-hazard event”.
Flooded roads in Ireland
Storm Bert passed through Ireland on Friday and Saturday. The local weather service issued a red alert due to rain, which hit counties Cork and Galway the hardest. Heavy rain caused flooding in parts of Ireland's west coast, leaving some roads impassable.
Strong winds led to power outages that affected 60,000 homes, farms and businesses in Ireland, mainly in the west and north-west of the country.
Main photo source: Reuters