Summary

  • Storm Ciarán caused significant disruption in the Channel Islands

  • Wind speeds of 102mph were recorded at 05:00 GMT

  • Some people have had to leave their homes due to damage

  • Authorities say the strongest winds have passed but to stay home

  • Schools and airports are closed and ferry services cancelled

  • Trees are down blocking roads across Jersey and Guernsey

  • Updates on Thursday 2 November, 2023

  1. Waitrose and farm flooded in Jersey valleypublished at 09:51 Greenwich Mean Time 2 November 2023

    Ammar Ebrahim
    Reporting from Jersey

    Waitrose car park Jersey valley

    The farm I live on at the edge of st Helier has been flooded, as has the Waitrose next door and a lot of Vallee Des Vaux.

    Being in the Valley offers some protection from the winds but the flooding this morning has been quite shocking to see.

    Neighbours have told me that trees further up the road have come down too.

    Farm in valley Jersey
  2. Part of Guernsey hospital damaged, States sayspublished at 09:45 Greenwich Mean Time 2 November 2023

    Part of Guernsey's Princess Elizabeth Hospital has been damaged in the storm, the States of Guernsey says.

    It stresses there is no risk to patients.

    "A corrugated plastic roof panel in one of the corridors popped out," it says.

    "Everyone is safe and there is no risk to patients, who have been able to remain in situ.

    "The hospital is operating is normal."

  3. 'The waves are washing my house'published at 09:40 Greenwich Mean Time 2 November 2023

    Cobo Coast Road in Guernsey

    Residents on seafront roads in Guernsey are keeping a close eye on their properties as the tide continues to rise.

    Alison Harris, who lives on Perelle Coast Road, says: "The waves are washing my house and shaking all the glass."

  4. What we know so farpublished at 09:33 Greenwich Mean Time 2 November 2023

    Jersey and Guernsey continue to feel the affects of Storm Ciarán.

    Homes have been battered inside and out in St Clement, Jersey, and multiple roads across both islands remain closed either due to fallen debris or trees.

    Both police forces are urging islanders to stay indoors and say patrols are dealing with the road closures.

    The Met Office confirmed there was a tornado and hurricane force wind overnight in Jersey.

  5. Tornado and hurricane force confirmed in Jerseypublished at 09:27 Greenwich Mean Time 2 November 2023

    Parade Road Jersey

    The Met Office has confirmed there was a tornado and hurricane force wind overnight in Jersey.

    Winds surpassing 103mph (164km/h) hit the island, the police said.

  6. 'If you can, stay at home'published at 09:24 Greenwich Mean Time 2 November 2023

    Tree down on road in GuernseyImage source, Bailiwick Law Enforcement

    Trees are down on Queen’s Road, St Julian’s Avenue, Le Vauquiedor and King’s Mills in Guernsey, Bailiwick Law Enforcement have confirmed.

    Debris has also been reported on the Charotterie.

    The force said police officers, fire crews, civil protection, states works and "many other services" continued to be outside in "unprecedented conditions" to protect the island.

    It said: "If people are on the roads it makes clearing these slower and more dangerous.

    "Our call volume remains very high, so please be patient if you’re trying to get in touch.

    "If you can, stay at home, stay safe, and make our jobs that little easier."

  7. 'It's been flat out', Jersey Honorary Police saypublished at 09:15 Greenwich Mean Time 2 November 2023

    Paul Davies

    Centenier Paul Davies said the Honorary Police had attended hundreds of calls overnight in St Helier, Jersey.

    "It's very very busy, there's lots of roads closed off, trees down and we're trying to divert the traffic as best we can," he said.

    "It's starting to pick up again now in the next couple of hours, we're gonna get hit again I think.

    "We've been everywhere, all over St Helier, it's been flat out."

  8. Alderney escapes worst of storm - residentpublished at 09:05 Greenwich Mean Time 2 November 2023

    The damage in Alderney from Storm Ciarán is not too bad, a resident says.

    Alex Purdie, who works for Alderney Wildlife Trust, says: "We might have escaped some of the worst of it, thankfully.

    "The main things are quite a few branches broken and a couple of trees down, but not too much."

    He says of the wildlife: "There's a lot of sea birds which could be impacted [and] obviously our grey seals as well."

  9. More trees down in Jerseypublished at 08:59 Greenwich Mean Time 2 November 2023

    The storm has caused trees to fall in Jersey.

    Tree down in St PeterImage source, Joao Camara
    Image caption,

    A tree down along St Peter's Valley

    Tree down on Chemin de Moulin
    Image caption,

    Tree down on Chemin de Moulin

  10. Aurigny unable to take phone callspublished at 08:53 Greenwich Mean Time 2 November 2023

    Aurigny says it is unable to receive any phone calls from customers due to disruption at its call centre.

    The States of Guernsey-owned airline is asking people to contact them via Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, but adds staff numbers are low so there may be a delay in responding.

    It says: "We understand the inconvenience this may cause."

  11. Swell 'insane' in Greve de Lecq, Jerseypublished at 08:47 Greenwich Mean Time 2 November 2023

    Greve de LecqImage source, Megan Williams

    Islander Megan Williams says the "swell is insane" at Greve de Lecq.

    The government said the morning high tide, set for 08:40 GMT, was set to be 11.5m (37ft 7in) - 1.1m (3ft 6in) higher than predicted.

  12. No bus services in Guernseypublished at 08:39 Greenwich Mean Time 2 November 2023

    All bus services have been cancelled in Guernsey.

    A review will take place later to determine when services can resume, the States of Guernsey had said.

  13. '100% do not recommend leaving the house'published at 08:36 Greenwich Mean Time 2 November 2023

    Pier Road balcony viewImage source, Jenni Deahl

    Jersey islander Jenni Deahl has described Pier Road as "wild and loud".

    She said: “Opened the door to film. 100% do not recommend leaving the house."

  14. Too many cars on roads, Guernsey Police saypublished at 08:31 Greenwich Mean Time 2 November 2023

    Bailiwick Law Enforcement says it is seeing "far more vehicles on the roads than we’d like to from a public safety perspective".

    It also said it was also receiving "many more calls for support in the last hour".

    "We appreciate that for some people, especially essential workers in areas like health and care, they must go to work but if you are able to stay at home please do so," the force said.

  15. 'A scary night' in Jerseypublished at 08:27 Greenwich Mean Time 2 November 2023

    Thunder in Jersey

    Melanie Westhead, a BBC south west reporter in Jersey, said pictures "do not reflect what a scary night it has been".

    She said the thunderstorm at midnight "had hail that sounded like stones being thrown at the windows".

  16. Sark dairy is safe after rough night - farmerpublished at 08:19 Greenwich Mean Time 2 November 2023

    A general view of Sark

    Sark farmer Jason Salisbury says the island's dairy is safe despite a "pretty severe" night.

    "There’s branches down and bits and pieces down, but it’s only just getting light, so we don’t really know what the damage is like on the island," he says.

    "At the moment the dairy is safe."

    He says he began preparing for Storm Ciarán about four days ago - which included rounding up cows from across the island.

    "The cows are like princesses, really, they are just in a big straw yard and they didn't realise anything was going on," he says.

  17. Trees down on Jersey's west coastpublished at 08:15 Greenwich Mean Time 2 November 2023

    Police have said there are "lots of trees down island wide", including one on Le Mont Fallu in St Peter, which is blocking the whole road.

    Trees along the west coast have been blown down by the storm.

    Tree down
    Image caption,

    Tree down on St Ouen's five mile road

    Tree downImage source, Mike Jackson
    Image caption,

    Tree down in St Brelade

  18. Road closures across Jersey and Guernseypublished at 08:09 Greenwich Mean Time 2 November 2023

    In Jersey, St Mary Honorary Police have said all roads in and out of the parish had been blocked by fallen trees and once the weather subsides they will "be moved safely".

    La Route du Port Elizabeth at the Waterfront has also been closed due to segments of the Christmas tree being blown off and Le Mont Fallu in St Peter remains blocked, police said.

    In Guernsey, the following roads have been closed:

    • Rue des Deslisle, Castel - between Methodist Church and Beaucamp
    • La Route des Capelles, St Sampson - between Capelles School and Alladin's Cave
    • Route de St Andre, St Andrew - Four Cabot and by Little Chapel
    • Les Ozouets, St Peter Port - by St Peter Port School
    • New Road, Forest - Between Mallard and Tostevin's Veg
    • Route de la Ramee, St Peter Port - by junction of La Neuve Rue
    • Route de la Charruee, Castel - Hougue du Pommier end
    • Route de Cobo, Castel - between Bouverie and Saumarez Park
    • La Route de Sausmarez, St Martin - outside Saumarez Manor
    • Landes du Marche, Vale - by the junction with Douit Lane
  19. Three-inch hailstones in Jerseypublished at 08:06 Greenwich Mean Time 2 November 2023

    Three-inch hailstones in Jersey

    Christian May, who works for the Government of Jersey, posted this photo on X of hailstones found on his lawn after a thunderstorm last night.

    He posted a ruler for scale showing that the longest one - which he describes as "croissant shaped" - measures around 3" long.

    Jersey is one of the places to have declared a major incident due to Storm Ciarán. 40 people there have been evacuated to hotels after wind damaged the roofs or windows of their homes.

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  20. What we know so farpublished at 08:00 Greenwich Mean Time 2 November 2023

    Jersey and Guernsey are currently in the worst part of Storm Ciarán.

    Guernsey is battling winds of 70mph (112 km/h), and there are gusts exceeding 90mph (144 km/h) in Jersey.

    Dozens of trees are reported down on both islands, with road closures in St Mary's and along the Waterfront in St Helier, Jersey.

    Both police forces are reminding islanders to stay safe, and indoors.