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

Live Reporting

Edited by Jack Burgess

  1. Where is Storm Darragh right now?

    Simon King
    BBC weather presenter and meteorologist

    A weather map labelling the centre of Storm Darragh as in the north of England

    The centre of Darragh is currently crossing northern England and it’s here where you might be waking up to calm winds outside.

    It's on the western flank around the Irish Sea where the most severe and dangerous winds are blowing.

    As Darragh moves south-eastward today, the most powerful 90mph (145 kmh) winds will ease and the wind will pick up quite quickly in northern and eastern England.

  2. The current warnings in place for the west coast and Northern Ireland

    The maps below show the wind warnings currently in place for Northern Ireland and the west coast of England, Wales and Scotland.

    An amber warning is in place until 21:00 GMT this evening along the west coast and Northern Ireland, while a red warning remains in place until 11:00 GMT for areas of Wales and the Bristol Channel.

    Two maps of the UK side by side. The left one shows an amber wind warning covering parts of Northern Ireland and the west coast of England, Wales and Scotland. It has text on it to suggest wind gusts can reach up to 80mph. The right one shows a red wind warning covering western Wales, with gusts saying speeds will reach 90mph.

  3. A look at what happened overnight

    Storm Darragh: Moment government emergency alert sent to millions of phones

    Tens of thousands are currently without power as of 06:00 GMT this morning, with the National Grid indicating properties across the West Midlands, East Midlands, South West and Wales are affected.

    In Wales, wind gusts have reached 92mph (146km).

    As we've been reporting, a red warning, the most severe that can be issued by the Met Office, will remain in place until 11:00 GMT today for western and southern Wales and the Bristol Channel coast.

    Millions in parts of Wales and the south-west of England have already been told to stay at home in light of a danger to life warning.

    Yesterday, three million people received an emergency alert on their phones via the government advising them to gather torches, a mobile phone power pack and other essentials. This has been the largest use yet of the UK warning system.

  4. Strongest winds recorded at 92mph so far

    Simon King
    BBC weather presenter and meteorologist

    A graphic shows the peak wind recorded so far in the UK this morning

    The wind has really picked up in the early hours with gusts typically reaching 70-80mph around the Irish Sea and Bristol Channel coasts.

    The strongest wind recorded has been at Capel Curig and Aberdaron on the north-west Wales coast with 92mph (148kmh).

    Storm Darragh will be at its most dangerous over the next few hours in west Wales and south-west England. Winds in those areas will peak at 80-90mph (128-148kmh).

    Even away from the coastal areas in Northern Ireland, south-west Scotland, western areas of England and Wales it’ll be extremely windy for much of this morning with gusts in excess of 70mph (113kmh) at times.

    Rain has also spread across many western areas and is particularly heavy across Wales. There is a risk of some flooding in south Wales, where the ground is still very saturated following Storm Bert two weeks ago.

  5. We're hunkering down - again - as Storm Darragh hits

    We’re bracing for impact as yet another storm batters the UK.

    Parts of the country face a rare red weather warning - meaning strong wind could pose a danger to life.

    Amber and yellow severe weather warnings have also been issued, with power cuts, building damage and transport disruptions forecast as Storm Darragh intensifies.

    Northern Ireland, south-west Scotland and western parts of England and Wales could see gusts of up to 80mph (129km/h), forecasters say.

    The storm is also expected to bring heavy rain. We’ll be covering the latest developments, so stick with us and stay safe.