U K Storm brewing out in Atlantic

Joanna wrote:Thanks Nicky....it might not be too bad where I am.
But I'll let you know !


(Did you get your tickets ?)

St Jude's Storm to cause transport chaos for millions
Trains and flights cancelled as Met Office warns of 80mph winds across large parts of the country



By Ben Farmer

10:03PM GMT 27 Oct 2013

Millions of commuters faced chaos on Monday morning as rail services across large parts of the country were cancelled after warnings that Britain will be battered by the most severe storm in a decade.

Most train operators in the south of England cancelled services before 9am. Disruptions were expected throughout the day.

Network Rail said there will be no rush hour commuter trains into London from the south because of the risk of fallen power lines or trees and debris on the track from the expected hurricane-force winds.

Air passengers also faced disruption as airlines cancelled dozens of flights and airports warned of long delays.

On the roads drivers were told to think carefully before venturing out. Baroness Kramer, the transport minister, advised people not to use their cars.

People were warned to stay away from seafronts, particularly on the South Coast, where the winds were expected to be strongest.

The Severn Bridge and Sheppey Crossing were closed to traffic in the early hours of Monday morning while the Dartford Crossing was also shut.

On Sunday night a 14-year-old boy was feared drowned after he was swept away in heavy seas off East Sussex while playing with friends on a beach.

The Met Office warned that the storm — named after St Jude, the patron saint of lost causes, whose feast day falls on Monday — would hit the Bristol Channel at 2am before sweeping north-eastwards across England and southern Wales.

It was expected to hit the South East at rush hour causing misery for London-bound commuters in Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and Surrey.

Darron Burness, the head of the AA’s flood rescue team, said the timing of the storm “couldn’t really be worse”.

The high winds would cause “significant travel disruption” throughout the morning — “one of the busiest times on the roads”.

He said: “Strong winds and torrential rain is an unpredictable and hazardous combination, which can be quite overwhelming when you’re driving.”

By 11am the storm, with winds of up to 80mph in some areas, was expected to have moved into the North Sea at The Wash.

Forecasters said it would dump up to 4cm or 1.5in of rain in eight hours. Four flood warnings were in place on Sunday along with 144 flood alerts.

The Met Office, who will be acutely aware of the consequences of an incorrect forecast, issued an amber warning, meaning “be prepared”, for the southern half of England and the southern half of Wales. The warning means there is a risk of structural damage and power cuts. It gave a lesser yellow warning, meaning “be aware”, for the rest of Wales and England up to the border with Scotland.

Downing Street said the storm could have a “widespread impact” across the country.

David Cameron chaired a phone conference on Sunday with heads of departments during which he was briefed on the contingency plans.

The Local Government Association (LGA) said authorities would divert staff from their normal duties to help out with emergency relief efforts if required.

They have found emergency accommodation should families be evacuated from their homes, and highways teams were on standby to rescue stranded motorists and clear debris from roads.

Rail passengers trying to get into London are likely to bear the brunt of Monday's disruption with train companies warning of cancelled services and speed restrictions on most lines in the South.

While many train operators said they hoped to be running services again by midmorning there were fears disruptions would last throughout the day.

South West Trains advised passengers not to travel and said many of its services would not run before 8am.

Trains would also cut their speed to 50mph amid fears of fallen trees or debris on the track.

First Capital Connect said no services were likely to run before 9am and Southern said services would be cancelled until tracks had been declared safe.

East Coast said it was running a special timetable and South Eastern also said it was likely trains would not run on several routes until at least 9am.

A spokesman for Network Rail, which is responsible for the track, said: “We need to be very, very clear for people living south of London. There will be no trains first thing in the morning.”

He said it was “likely to be 9am before we can even consider running trains again”.

Transport for London said there would be no service on the Overground line until 9am.

Eurostar announced that it would be unable to run any cross-Channel rail services until 7am after the high-speed train lines were inspected.

The 5.40am and 6.50am services from London will set off at least an hour late and will be subject to 50mph speed restrictions.

All other services until noon will be subject to about 20-minute delays.

All passengers were advised to follow updates from rail companies or National Rail Enquiries.

Air passengers faced similar difficulties, with Heathrow cancelling about 60 flights, both arrivals and departures. Stansted and Gatwick predicted they would also see flights scrapped.

British Airways (BA) said it had cancelled a number of short-haul flights at the request of Heathrow. A spokesman was unable to confirm the number of cancellations but said there would be a 20 per cent reduction in its schedule from 6-11am, 10 per cent from 11am-4pm and five per cent from 4pm to 10.30pm.

The airline said it hoped to operate long-haul flights in and out of the airport as normal, but there could be some delays due to the storm.

Aer Lingus also cancelled services with eight flights between Ireland and Heathrow affected.

Airports advised travellers to check with their airline before setting out.

Gatwick, Stansted and Luton airports urged passengers to keep up to date with the status of their flights, while train services running into the airports were suspended until 9am on Monday morning.

Trains to Southend airport were also cancelled.

Michael Fish, the forecaster who famously failed to predict the 1987 storm, advised that people should delay going into work if hurricane-force winds hit their area.

People should take “two or three hours” off work on Monday morning if the predicted storm hits their area, he suggested.

The Met Office said the winds would not be as high as the 1987 storm that buffeted southern England, but it was not one “you would see every year”.

Forecasters said they expected winds to be as powerful as those seen in October 2000.

Gusts of 115mph were recorded during the Great Storm of 1987, when 18 people died and thousands of homes were without power for several days.

A major search was underway on Sunday for the teenager who was apparently dragged out to sea by the onset of stormy weather preceding St Jude.

The boy was thought to have been with friends on the shoreline at Newhaven, East Sussex, when he was overcome by the waves.

Rescuers braved strengthening storm-force winds as they tried to find him off the coast near Newhaven.

Rescue services, including a helicopter, were involved in the search.

The youngster was in the water at West Beach about 10 yards offshore, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said.

Solent Coastguard was alerted to the missing boy through 999 calls.

High winds had already begun on Sunday to cause damage in the South West. An 89ft tall wind turbine blew over in a field at Higher Rixdale Farm, near Teignmouth in Devon.

In Cornwall, a family of four escaped unhurt after a tree hit their house. Two children and their parents were sleeping when the tree crashed through the roof of their house in Camborne.

One year and 800,000 pictures later: the unprecedented documentation of Hurricane Sandy | http://t.co/AxOyqSGJ6G

— TIME LightBox (@timepictures) October 28, 2013

Joanna wrote:Sunny & Bright & chilly morning now with light 
layer of ice on cars.
Many people still have power cuts in southern England since Monday morning. Trees falling and damaging overhead power cables mainly to blame.