After the “Tidal Surge” floods and storms earlier this month yet another storm has battered areas up and down the British Isles. The current storm first struck late yesterday, Wednesday 18 December, is expected to continue into today, is being referred to as “Storm Emily”.
Winds of around 150kph, torrential rain, snow and ice cause damage and disruption. One person in Ireland has been reported as killed in the storm and another, a man in England, has been reported as missing.
The threat of flooding remains today, particularly around rivers in the south west of England after a night of heavy rainfall.
Wales
Storms brought heavy rain and strong winds to parts of Wales yesterday. The strong winds are forecast to continue today. Power was cut for around one thousand homes in Neath Port Talbot.
Strong winds have caused damage up and down the country, blocking roads with fallen trees and debris and damaging power cables. The Gwent area appears to have been worst affected by flooding, where around 1.2 metres of flood water inundated roads. Emergency services in south and mid Wales reported hundreds of calls about flooding and fallen trees.
Flood warnings by Natural Resources Wales were issued for the tidal areas at Dale and Pendine in Carmarthenshire. These have since been downgraded to the lower level of “flood alert”. There are currently 16 flood alerts for Wales, according to the Environment Agency.
Ireland
Strong winds of up to 150kph battered the country. One woman died after a tree hit her car in Mullingar, Co Westmeath .
Transport and power supplies were disrupted. The areas worst affected by the storm were Donegal and Galway. The strong winds caused most of the damage seen across Ireland, though there was some snow and heavy rain and reports of some flooding. Salthill, in County Galway saw high levels of flood water up to 1 metre in streets and roads. It is thought that the floods were caused by a combination of heavy rain and high tides. The flood waters were reported to have receded after a few hours.
A “yellow level” weather warning remains for Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo, Cavan, Monaghan and certain other areas in Munster and Leinster. Met Eireann had previously issued a “red level” warning, the highest level.
Isle of Man
Strong winds on the Isle of Man brought down tress which blocked several roads. The torrential rain brought by the storm led to flooding in areas of Ramsey and Ballabeg.
Scotland
Scotland was also battered by strong winds and heavy rain. Around 30 flood warnings were issued, many of them for areas along the coast where high tides and waves were likely to cause flooding. At particular risk are Largs in North Ayrshire, and Argyll and Bute, including Helensburgh and Oban. Flood warnings were also issued for some rivers, including the River Nith in Dumfries and Galloway.
At the time of writing, there are around 13 flood warnings for Scotland, mostly centred around the Tayside area.
See the SEPA website for more information on flood warnings in Scotland.
England
England, especially the South West, was also struck by the storm. The strong winds again caused much of the damage, but there were also some reports of surface flooding, particularly in Gloucestershire and Somerset. One man had to be rescued from his car after it became streanded in flood water in Chew Magna, near Bristol. Many roads have been inundated across the South West, including some stretches of motorway in the area. Motorists were warned to be particularly cautious.
At the time of writing there are 14 flood warnings in place for the South West of England, many of which are for Somerset, Gloucestershire and Dorset.
For more information on current flood warnings, see the Environment Agency website here.
Sources: BBC; Independent Ireland; Manx Radio; Wales Online; Gloucester Citizen
