Summary

  • A man has died after a tree fell on his van during Storm Darragh, Lancashire Police say

  • A rare red weather warning has ended in Wales and south-west England - but yellow and amber alerts remain in place

  • A wind gust of 93mph (150kmh) was recorded this morning in Wales and heavy rain is forecast in some areas

  • Tens of thousands of people are without power, according to the National Grid

  • Travel is seriously disrupted around the country, with Cardiff Airport closing its runway until 11:00 GMT, rail services disrupted and National Express coach services impacted

  1. Van driver killed by fallen tree as Storm Darragh ragespublished at 17:04 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December

    Dramatic waves crash over the seafront in Porthcawl in Wales
    Image caption,

    Dramatic waves crash over the seafront in Porthcawl in Wales

    A van driver has been killed by a fallen tree during Storm Darragh, as strong winds and heavy rain continue to rage across the UK.

    Gusts of up to 93mph battered some areas earlier on Saturday as the storm caused significant disruption in south Wales, western England and Northern Ireland, with many train services and flights cancelled.

    Scene of a fatal crash in Lancashire
    Image caption,

    The man died when a tree fell across the A59 in Longton, Lancashire

    A red Met Office red warning for parts of Wales and south-west England ended at 11:00 GMT on Saturday, but amber warnings for further wind and rain remain in place through to Saturday evening

    The Energy Networks Association said 177,000 homes in England, Scotland and Wales were still without power, and around 768,000 customers had already been reconnected.

    Yellow weather warnings for wind will stay in place across most of the UK until early on Sunday morning.

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    This page was edited by Jenna Moon and Jack Burgess.

    It was written by Cachella Smith, Lana Lam, Ben Hatton, James McCarthy and Emma Rossiter.

  2. In pictures: Wind and rain lashes tourists in Londonpublished at 17:01 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December

    While amber warnings are in place for both Wales and south-west England, yellow warnings remain across the country - meaning not even Londoners can avoid Storm Darragh.

    Tourists and locals alike along Westminster Bridge have had their umbrellas turned inside out and raincoats drenched...

    A woman holds her umbrella during a gust of wind on Westminster Bridge after Storm Darragh hit the country, in LondonImage source, Reuters
    A tourist wearing a raincoat walks on Westminster Bridge during a gust of wind, after Storm Darragh hit the country, in London,Image source, Reuters

    Meanwhile, near St Paul's Cathedral, people have been spotted struggling with the gusts of wind on Millennium Bridge.

    A woman walks during a gust of wind on Millennium Bridge after Storm Darragh hit the country, in LondonImage source, Reuters
  3. School roof blown off during amber weather warningpublished at 16:49 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December

    School roof on floor of playground

    Part of a school roof has been blown off in the south west of Scotland during Storm Darragh.

    A large section of the roof of Castle Douglas High School was blown off during the amber weather warning.

    It landed on another part of the school.

    Concerned parents queried whether the school could be made safe in time for pupils to return on Monday, or whether it would have to be closed for repairs.

    Dumfries and Galloway Council has been approached for comment.

  4. Trail of damage left across Wales by Storm Darraghpublished at 16:37 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December

    Storm Darragh has brought havoc upon Wales today, with widespread damage and travel disruption that includes the closure of the runway at Cardiff Airport.

    Strong gusts hammered the coasts and hills while the Met Office recorded winds of 94mph (150 km/h) at Capel Curig, in Conwy county, at 08:00 GMT.

    A major incident has been declared by Dyfed-Powys Police across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, and Powys.

    You can watch some of the moments that caused today's damage in this short video:

    Media caption,

    Watch: Storm Darragh hits Wales

  5. Roads remain blocked as nightfall approachespublished at 16:22 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December

    Drivers in Wales are being urged to take "extreme caution" as some roads remain blocked by trees, with nightfall approaching.

    North Wales Police has said disruption and severe weather is ongoing.

    Supt Owain Llewellyn says: “The scale of disruption means it has been impossible to remove all fallen trees prior to nightfall".

    He also says:

    Quote Message

    Warning signs may not be in place for many of these obstructions or localised flooding so please use extreme caution - avoid travelling if possible."

    Llewellyn urges drivers not to risk stranding vehicles by going through flood water.

  6. Lifeboat crew rescues dog during stormpublished at 16:10 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December

    Emma Petrie
    BBC News

    Buddy is held on a lead - he is sandy coloured, but covered in mud. One of his rescuers kneels down next to him, smiling.Image source, Humber Rescue
    Image caption,

    Buddy disappeared late on Friday afternoon

    A dog has been rescued after being stranded in the Humber Estuary for six hours, a lifeboat charity says.

    The dog, named Buddy, was found "tired and subdued" near Whitton Island at 22:00 GMT on Friday.

    Buddy the dog stands for a group photo with the team at Humber rescue, after he arrived at the station. The four crew members are still in their life jackets and wellies.Image source, Humber Rescue
    Image caption,

    The coxswain said conditions in the Humber Estuary were exceptionally tough

    Humber Rescue, an independent rescue organisation based next to the Humber Bridge in Hessle, said its crew faced "exceptionally tough" conditions, as Storm Darragh swept in.

    Volunteers were able to narrow down the search thanks to a tracking device fitted to Buddy's collar.

  7. Severe flooding hits parts of rural Ceredigionpublished at 15:52 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December

    Media caption,

    Watch: Storm Darragh leaves flooding in parts of rural Ceredigion

    Various flood warnings are in place across Wales as Storm Darragh continues.

    Near the Cambrian mountains and on the River Teifi is the village of Pontrhydfendigaid.

    BBC Wales' Mererid Jenkins has described the severity of the situation there, as firefighters work to clear roads of water.

    She reiterated the warning of emergency services not to travel, outlining the impact on routes between the towns of Tregaron and Aberystwyth.

  8. Strong wind gusts are still possible despite expired red warningpublished at 15:30 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December

    Chris Fawkes
    BBC Weather presenter

    While the top wind gust from storm Darragh remains the 93mph (150kmh) reported earlier at Capel Curig, Conwy from this morning, we’ve had a gust of 85mph (137kmh) in Aberporth, Ceredigion in the last hour.

    The potential for Storm Darragh to give wind gusts strong enough to knock down trees has not gone away.

    Further disruption to transport and power cuts are still likely.

  9. Dyfed-Powys Police declares 'major incident'published at 15:17 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December

    Dyfed-Powys Police, one of four Welsh police forces, has declared a major incident for the counties of Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Powys this morning.

    The force says it continues to receive high volumes of calls about fallen trees and poor driving conditions.

    Superintendent Chris Neve explains declaring the major incident "means that together with our partners, we can call on the resources we need to respond to the challenges brought by Storm Darragh".

    He adds that the force still has capacity to respond to priority calls.

    "We have robust plans in place to respond to Storm Darragh, and we continue to work extremely closely with partner agencies to do so through local resilience arrangements and close working on the ground," Supt Neve adds.

  10. Resident recounts battering winds and water coming through the windowspublished at 15:03 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December

    Elizabeth Halls and her husband, who live in Knucklas on the border of England and Wales, say they were woken at 05:00 GMT by the sound of Storm Darragh “roaring down the valley”.

    The rain was so severe that water started to come in through gaps in their home’s window frames, something Elizabeth says has never happened before.

    And a shelter the couple use to store garden equipment has blown into an adjacent field.

    "We just had to get up at five in the morning and make a cup of tea because it was too noisy to stay in bed and we had water dripping through the window," she says.

    “And it just carried on. It was just battering - I’m looking out over the River Teme which has burst its banks.

    “The poor birds were trying to cling onto branches of trees. It was all kicking off."

  11. 'I've been helping neighbours with no power'published at 14:48 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December

    Chris Wood
    BBC Wales News

    Marc Morris has been out in the stormy weather to help older people in Llangunnor, Carmarthenshire.

    "I've been making sure the elderly neighbours are safe," he says, speaking near a fallen tree on Heol Penymorfa.

    "I keep an eye on a 94-year-old lady who lives nearby who doesn't have water or power," Mr Morris adds.

    "So I've just popped down to the shops to get a torch and some things, as we don't expect to get the electricity back in the area until about seven tonight."

    Marc Morris is pictured in front of downed trees in Llangunnor, Carmarthenshire
  12. Watch as planes wobble through Darragh's windspublished at 14:34 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December

    Some planes coming into London's Heathrow Airport saw a wobbly landing this morning as they battled Storm Darragh's strong winds.

    Media caption,

    Planes wobble at Heathrow during Storm Darragh

  13. More than 120,100 premises now 'off supply' - National Gridpublished at 14:23 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December

    We've been reporting today on power cuts across the country and have been keeping a close eye on updates from the National Grid.

    As we've said previously, the number of premises without supply is continually changing - but as of 14:00 GMT more than 120,100 premises were without power, according to the service.

  14. 'I've never seen anything like the wind last night'published at 14:09 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December

    James Kelly
    UGC Hub

    A crumpled greenhouse stands on a patio, clearly damagedImage source, Chloe Straw

    Chloe Straw, 32, from Shirehampton, Bristol, says she and her husband were woken in the middle of the night by a deafening noise and discovered their greenhouse "taken flight" across their garden.

    It landed about 15 feet away, she says.

    Despite being six-months pregnant, Chloe helped drag the damaged greenhouse into their house to stop it taking off again.

    “I’ve never seen anything like it – the wind last night, it was quite scary actually," she says.

  15. Wind gusts cause damage on Llandudno pierpublished at 14:01 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December

    We've just received some images showing the impact of Storm Darragh on Llandudno pier in North Wales.

    One of the huts along the pier has been blown over. As we mentioned earlier, a wind gust of up to 93mph (150kmh) has been recorded in Wales.

    The pier is the longest in Wales and is usually a popular tourist attraction in the seaside resort.

    A hut on Llandudno pier in North Wales is blown over and resting on its side against another hut. The pier, with blue and white painted railings, is seen in front of a grey sky and stormy waves.
    Wider shot of Llandudno pier in North Wales, with rock wall in foreground. One of the huts has been blown over into its side, resting on another hut. Stormy waves and grey skies.
    Wider shot of Llandudno pier in North Wales, with rock wall in foreground. One of the huts has been blown over into its side, resting on another hut. Large wave takes up about half of the image. Stormy waves and grey skies.
  16. People should be vigilant as storm continues - first minister of Walespublished at 13:50 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December

    Chris Wood
    BBC Wales News

    Eluned Morgan

    Emergency service workers and first responders who worked through the night have been praised by the first minister of Wales.

    Eluned Morgan also warns the effects of Storm Darragh could be felt for days to come.

    In a joint statement with deputy first minister Huw Irranca-Davies, she says: “Work is ongoing to restore power to homes and re-open parts of the transport network, and our thoughts are with people who have suffered damage to their property and possessions from the storm.

    "Many warnings and alerts remain in place, in particular around rivers, and people should be vigilant as the effects of Storm Darragh may be felt for some days yet."

  17. Met Office issues further yellow wind warning for Sundaypublished at 13:42 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December

    The Met Office has issued a further yellow weather warning for wind to cover all of England and Wales tomorrow from 06:00 GMT to 18:00 GMT.

    It says strong winds associated with Storm Darragh will continue to gradually ease on Sunday, but may still cause disruption.

    That's in addition to the existing warnings in place – there's currently an amber warning for wind covering Northern Ireland, and parts of western Wales, England and Scotland, which is due to expire at 21:00 GMT today.

    There is also an existing yellow wind weather warning in place for parts of England and Scotland due to end at 06:00 GMT tomorrow.

    You can see a full breakdown of the warnings in place for rain here.

  18. Man dies after tree falls onto van during stormpublished at 13:23 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December
    Breaking

    An investigation is underway after a man died when a tree fell onto his van during Storm Darragh, Lancashire Police say.

    Emergency services were called at around 09:00 today after the incident which happened on the A59 at Longton near to Lancashire Police Headquarters.

    The man, in his 40s, was driving his Citroen van on the dual carriageway when the tree fell on to his vehicle causing serious injuries.

    He was pronounced dead at the scene.

  19. Big waves and crushed cars: Videos show impact of Storm Darraghpublished at 13:02 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December

    The compilation video below gives a sense of how it's looking out there today – you won't hear much sound until about 30 seconds in, but you can hear just how blustery it has been in the last clip.

    Media caption,

    Trees down and wild seas as Storm Darragh hits UK

  20. An active jet stream may mean a wetter and windier winterpublished at 12:53 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December

    Simon King
    BBC weather presenter and meteorologist

    The jet stream - a fast moving wind high in the atmosphere - has been pretty active so far this autumn and winter.

    I like to call the jet stream the "weather maker". It meanders west to east across the Atlantic, where areas of high and low pressure are created.

    An active jet stream like this one means we’ve had lots of areas of low pressure directed to the UK - and if it’s particularly powerful, the result is more storms.

    The longer range forecast for December, January and February suggests the jet stream will stay more active than not, which means overall wetter, windier and milder weather.

    It means there's a greater chance of more storms to come over the next few months.