Storm Isha: Two dead and thousands without power hours before new chaos arrives

A weather expert has explained why Britain is experiencing so many severe storms and why they may become more frequent. Speaking to the Express, meteorologist Jim Dale said: "We put a pan of milk on the gas stove at the start of the Industrial Revolution. To begin with, it was cold, it didn’t get anywhere fast. But we’ve kept turning up the heat - and now it’s boiling over."Mr Dale said it was concerning to see so many storms happening so closely. He said: "To get so many, so quickly - it opened the door to what climatologists are saying, and I agree, which is that climate change means more storms and more intense storms."

Professor Suzanne Gray warned the storms could begin happening more often. She said: "There is some evidence that storms with strong winds will become slightly more frequent in the future in north-west Europe and also become more ‘clustered’ so that we experience several storms one after the other.

"There is strong evidence that on average storms will produce more rainfall and some studies have also predicted an increase in the strength of the winds in the strongest storms."

A weather expert has said it is unusual for Britain to have had so many storms by this point in the winter. Chief Executive of the Royal Meteorological Society Liz Bentley told the Guardian: "It is unusual to have had so many named storms by now. Jocelyn will be the tenth named storm since the autumn/winter storm season started.

"We’ve not got that far into the alphabet in January [before] so it is unusual to have seen such an active run. There isn’t a clear signal that climate change is leading to more extreme storms in the UK. There is a little bit of evidence, but it’s not conclusive."

ScotRail trains in Scotland are due to be suspended ahead in reaction to Storm Jocelyn. Director of customer operations Phil Campbell told the BBC: "The heavy wind and ongoing rain hitting most parts of the country mean that it will not be safe for our customers and our staff, and all ScotRail train services will be suspended from 19.00 tomorrow.

"Our colleagues at Network Rail Scotland will again be working flat out to carry out safety checks, and assess what repairs are required to reopen the railway.

Cumbria remains on major incident standby after Storm Isha's departure, with Storm Joyce on course to make landfall tomorrow.

Chief Superintendent Carl Patrick, of Cumbria Police, advised people to follow guidance to prepare ahead of a yellow alert for wind on January 23.

He said: "While the amber alert has passed and we appear to be through the worst, our multi-agency status of being on standby for a major incident remains.

"People should be aware a further yellow warning of wind is in place for tomorrow afternoon, running on into Wednesday afternoon.

"Our advice remains the same over the next few days - we would ask people to prepare and follow the guidance being given in the media and on social media to minimise the ongoing impact.

"Please make yourselves aware of the key contacts and ensure any vulnerable people within our communities are also aware and prepared."

Storm Isha has left tens of thousands of Irish residents without power, one of the country's national providers has said.

Approximately 35,000 people are without water in the country, utility firm Uisce Eireann has said.

The firm, which is also known as Irish Water, cited Storm Isha's "impacts on water treatment infrastructure" when it revealed the issues this evening.

Officials have prioritised repairs across the country, a spokesman has said, as up to 155,000 people struggle wit power outages.

Tom Cuddy, head of Operations at Uisce Eireann, said: "For areas where supplies have been impacted, our crews are on the ground working to restore production as soon as it is possible.

"Where power has been restored or repairs carried out, it may take a number of hours for normal supply to return to all customers, particularly those in elevated areas on at the ends of the network.

"Where possible, customers are asked to conserve water to enable supplies to recover.

"We want to thank impacted customers for their patience as we work to restore normal supplies."

New pictures posted this afternoon show the damage caused by Storm Isha on the UK's main roads.

The pictures, taken by photographers earlier today, show the aftermath of a high-sided truck turning over on the M6 northbound.

People can see bags of Wotsits scattered across the road, in Carlisle, and workers clearing up the mess.

Scotrail will suspend some of its services this coming Tuesday, January 23, as Storm Jocelyn continues to wreak havoc on the UK.

The network will suspend services from 7pm tomorrow, due to the severe wind, Phil Campbell, ScotRail's customer operations director, said.

He said: "The heavy wind and ongoing rain hitting most parts of the country mean that it will not be safe for our customers and our staff, and all ScotRail train services will be suspended from 7pm tomorrow.

"This is the second withdrawal of train services this week, and we know the impact this has on customers, but the safety of staff and passengers will always be our priority."

ScotRail was forced to take a similar approach on Sunday, January 21, because of conditions caused by Storm Isha.

The Met Office has issued new amber weather warnings for Scotland.

The agency has warned that Storm Jocelyn's winds will batter a chain of local authorities in the home nation, with winds likely to reach between 75 and 80mph in some places.

Wind speeds will be slightly lower elsewhere, reaching between 55 and 65mph.

Affected regions include:

The winds are expected to subside by Wednesday, January 24.

A 60-year-old man has died after his vehicle crashed into a tree felled by Storm Isha.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland said he was involved in a crash involving two vans in Limavady, County Londonderry, on Sunday night.

A newly-named Storm Jocelyn is tipped to bring absolute chaos to the UK in hours - before the country has even recovered from the last. Storm Isha battered Britain this weekend, with violent winds peaking overnight.

But now the Met Office has named a brand new storm - Jocelyn - and she's on her way to create more havoc for the UK from Tuesday.

"A spell of strong winds associated with Storm Jocelyn is expected to affect western and northern Scotland from Tuesday evening," the forecaster said.

Amid the 14 hour warning, in place from 6pm on Tuesday until 8am on Wednesday, people are warned of more blackouts, disruption to rail, ferry, bus and air services, and a danger to life risk from flying debris.

On Monday morning, in the aftermath of a severe storm, Queen Street Station, one of the busiest train stations in Scotland, appeared deserted.

The absence of passengers was attributed to the collapse of the boundary wall and fence of a nearby building near the low-level railway lines during Storm Isha.

A commuter, originally planning to travel to Edinburgh, characterized the scene as resembling a "ghost town."

Britain will be hit with a second storm just hours after Storm Isha battered the nation with a huge 473-mile of rain moving towards the UK. Latest weather maps suggest damaging gusts hurtling towards the country covering areas from Wick to Manchester.

Storm Jocelyn is set to unleash powerful winds and heavy rainfall, accompanied by gusts reaching a minimum of 70mph.

An elderly man has died after a car he was travelling in crashed into a fallen tree in Fife, Scotland.

The man, 84, was a passenger in the car when it crashed.

The tree had been brought down in Grangemouth on Sunday (January 21) by Storm Isha, which is currently causing havoc across the UK.

A second storm will batter the UK just hours after Storm Isha wreaked havoc on roads and railways. Britain has faced gusts of up to 99mph, a tornado warning and downpours since Sunday.

Storm Isha also caused hundreds of flights to be diverted, some ending up more than 1,000 miles away due to pilots unable to land in the extreme conditions. But now, Britain is just days away from being battered by a second severe storm.

Storm Jocelyn will once again bring strong winds and downpours, with gusts of at least 70mph. The Irish Met Office has named the storm, as the UK forecaster has weather warnings in place until Wednesday, January 24.

A DFDS ferry arrives at the Port of Dover in Kent during the aftermath of Storm Isha.

The A6107 near Masham has been closed by North Yorkshire Police due to flooding from the River Ure.

According to North Yorkshire Weather Updates, areas along the River Ure, including Ripon, Boroughbridge, and others, will experience impacts, along with roads along the River Ouse toward York.

An enormous tree has fallen on the train line near Tain causing a massive disruption in the power supply.

Network Rail Scotland is working in coordination with Scottish and Southern Electricity boards to settle the power woes.

An entire greenhouse was blown onto train tracks by Storm Isha last night. With gusts of up to 90mph, the storm battered Britain, closing roads, railways and ferries.

Due to Storm Isha, Dunkeld Cathedral, Dumbarton Castle and Dundonald Castle in Scotland will remain closed today.

However, Craigmillar Castle and Stirling Castle will open at the later time of 11am.

Insane flight conditions caused by 90mph winds from Storm Isha forced multiple pilots to abort landings with some forced to divert to airports 1,200 miles away in a different country. These crazy maps from aircraft tracking site FlightRadar24 show passengers found themselves often at airports hundred of miles from their destination.

Ryanair flights to Dublin from Manchester and Lanzarote in the Canary Islands diverted to the French cities of Paris and Bordeaux respectively, and an EasyJet aircraft was tracked heading from Amsterdam to London before having to also go to Paris.

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Storm Isha battered parts of Britain with several areas reporting disruption caused due to heavy winds up to 99mph.

Temporary restrictions on air traffic have been implemented due to the storm.

Numerous flights were compelled to divert last night, leading to some British passengers being redirected as far as 500 miles away to Paris.

National Air Traffic Services stated, "Temporary air traffic restrictions are in place due to adverse weather conditions across the UK. Such restrictions are implemented solely to ensure safety. Our teams are collaborating closely with airports and airlines to minimize disruptions. Passengers are advised to check the status of their flight with their airline."

For instance, an EasyJet flight from Edinburgh to Bristol was rerouted to the French capital, as was a Ryanair flight traveling from Manchester to Dublin.

Ryanair also redirected a Manchester-Dublin flight to Paris, and a Lanzarote-Dublin flight to Bordeaux, while the Nice to Dublin flight was redirected to Birmingham.

Engineers at the UK Power network have restored power to 96% of properties across the East, and 85% across the South East, affected by Storm Isha, the network provider said.

Network issues at a total of 82,000 properties have been worked out and the company is currently working to reconnect a further 8,500 customers.

A UK flight has reportedly been diverted over 1,000 miles away due to Storm Isha making landing impossible.

A Ryanair plane travelling from Manchester to Stansted this morning made one attempt to land in London.

But due to weather conditions, heavy wind and rain, it was diverted, an X (formerly Twitter) user has said.

Instead, the flight has been sent to Budapest in Hungary, just over 1,000 miles and two and a half miles from London.

The plane is reportedly needed back in the UK by 6.45am for another flight.

Network Rail anticipates the suspension of train services in Scotland until approximately noon following a tumultuous night.

A spokesperson stated, "The railway has swiftly recovered this morning after Storm Isha, with routes in England and Wales cleared of trees and debris.

Passenger and freight services have resumed, and most areas are expected to have a good service. However, passengers should verify the latest travel information on train operators' websites before heading out."

"An exception is Scotland, where services are not expected to resume until around midday due to numerous closed lines caused by fallen trees and flooding. Teams of engineers equipped with chainsaws and cherry pickers are already on site for removal and repairs.

"Route proving trains will be deployed before passenger services can recommence. Despite the challenges of a wild night, the safety of passengers and railway staff has been maintained, and efforts are underway to swiftly restore the railway to normal operation."

National Rail indicates that a breakdown of a freight train between Herne Hill and Tulse Hill is anticipated to result in significant disruptions to Thameslink services this morning connecting St Albans City, Sutton, and Wimbledon.

Trains are likely to be cancelled or revised to only complete parts of their normal journeys, bosses say.

Customers have been told that they will need to use another route for your journey, and this will take at least 30 to 45 minutes longer than usual.

Good morning. I am Astha Saxena and I will be bringing you all the latest developments on Storm Isha.

Please feel free to get in touch with me as I work. If you have a story or tips to share, please reach out to me at:Email id: astha.saxena@reachplc.comTwitter: @asthasaxena88

The Met Office has issued Red Warnings for certain regions of the UK as Storm Isha continues to unleash further chaos.

The current warning means that a short spell of powerful winds leads to danger to life, structural damage, and disruption.

According to the Met Office, Red alerts are specifically issued for extremely hazardous weather conditions with a high degree of certainty.

It stated: "These warnings are reserved for very dangerous weather with a high level of certainty. You should take direct action to keep yourself and others safe from impacts of the weather.

"It’s likely there will be a risk to life, as well as substantial disruption to travel and infrastructure."

Storm Isha seems to be "one of the most powerful storm systems on the planet at the moment", experts have claimed.

Several planes are being diverted and experiencing aborted landings last evening, but this is all part of standard protocol.

Scotland Road Police has urged people to travel only if it's necessary as it anticipated several road closures due to Storm Isha.

In response to these conditions, the police strongly recommend refraining from travel and suggest doing so only if absolutely essential.

It posted on X: "Due to the amount of debris caused by #StormIsha, short notice road closures, localised flooding and other issues are expected, in addition to the high winds. As a result, the police advice is to ⛔Avoid Travel⛔, travel only if absolutely necessary."

Several residents across the country took to social media to share their horrifying experience as Storm Isha battered parts of the UK.

A user posted on X, formerly Twitter: "Woke up this morning and it's like Santa came to my house last night. I have a trampoline, a garden shed, 2 new pairs of jocks, a patio table and a Ryanair 737 MAX8 out in the back garden."

A second user said: " Thought the dementers were on the way for a minute at my home."

The Met Office claimed that Storm Isha is "now moving away" after causing 99mph gusts last evening.

The department added: "However, it remains windy this morning with a yellow warning out for all until midday.

"Expect some disruption this Monday morning."

A tornado warning has been issued for England and Wales as Storm Isha continues to batter the nation with wind speeds hitting up to 80mph.

Rush-hour trains remain axed for many and roads were closed overnight due to the heavy winds. A red weather warning was issued for parts of Scotland but has since passed.

Read more

A red weather warning in Scotland has passed. Although vast swathes of the United Kingdom are subject to yellow and amber warnings until around 6am as strong winds continue.

The M6 through Cumbria is currently closed as 'multiple lorries' overturned.

The southbound stretch between junction 39 and junction 38 closed just before 4am.

A National Highways spokesman said: "The M6 in Cumbria is closed southbound between J39 (Shap) and J38 (Tebay) to allow for recovery of multiple lorries which have overturned due to Storm Isha.

"Recovery resources are now in attendance. National Highways Traffic Officers are also on scene assisting with traffic management."

The Police Service of Northern Ireland urged people not to dial 999 unless it was an emergency last night a "extreme weather" put a "significant pressure" on the 999 system.

Aircraft tracker FlightRadar shows planes are being diverted this morning.

One flight from Antalya in Turkey that was heading to Manchester Airport has reportedly been diverted to Lyon in France.

The plane was scheduled to arrive in Manchester at 12.20am - but will now land in France at around 2am

The Met Office says the red warning has been issued for a “short spell of extremely strong winds leading to danger to life, structural damage and disruption”.

People are warned to expect flying debris resulting in danger to life.

They are also warned of large waves and beach material being thrown onto coastal roads, sea fronts and homes.

There could be damage to buildings and homes, with roofs blown off and power lines brought down, as well as power cuts affecting other services, such as mobile phone coverage.

Roads, bridges and railway lines may be closed, with delays and cancellations to bus, train, ferry services and flights.

A red warning for wind has been issued for a northern area of Scotland between 1am and 5am on Monday.

The warning covers Thurso and Wick to the north, Fraserburgh and Peterhead to the east and goes as far west as Cromarty and Nairn.

Drivers in Buckinghamshire have been told not to drive unless neccessary due to the weather conditions.

Police in the Aylesbury Vale area revealed they were called out to another tree down. They said: "Unless absolutely necessary it’s advised not to drive due to dangerous weather conditions."

it’s advised not to drive due to dangerous weather conditions

A Ryanair flight that was travelling from Manchester to Dublin found itself diverting 500 miles to Paris as Storm Isha battered the United Kingdom.

Flight FR555 was already an hour late for take-off after adverse weather conditions on Sunday afternoon meant it was 'stuck on the runway'. And, when it finally did manage to depart, it later found itself circling the Irish Sea as it attempted to land at Dublin Airport.

Having aborted the eventual landing, the plane found itself diverting 500 miles to Paris. According to FlightRadar24, the aircraft eventually landed at Paris Beauvais Airport.

Read more

A flight travelling from Sharm El Sheikh to Glasgow Airport has declared an emergency due to Storm Isha.

A spokesperson for Glasgow Airport said the TUI flight was “diverted to Manchester due to current weather conditions”.

They added: “This is happening across many UK airports due to Storm Isha.”

Ryanair passengers were forced to endure an unexpected three-hour flight due to Storm Isha.

Passengers aboard flight RYR6333 were due to land in Dublin after taking off at 5.30pm this afternoon.

But what was meant to be a short flight was extended to three hours after it first failed to land in Ireland, and then in Northern Ireland following a diversion to Belfast.

It was later forced to land in Manchester, where from where it took off this evening, after failing to find an alternative landing spot.

Storm Isha has left Britons "jealous" after the system forced a plane bound for Dublin to land in Bordeaux.

According to Flight Radar, Ryanair flight FR5911 from Lanzarote was due to land in Ireland this evening.

But the fierce gale force winds forced the plane to divert to French wine country.

Commenting on the diversion, BBC presenter Scott Bryan said he was "jealous of [the passengers] in a way".

A new satellite map has shown how the UK has become trapped in Storm Isha's winds.

Maps from Windy.com show purple and blue bruising covering the country, representing wind speeds of 60mph and over.

The maps remain consistently purple until Wednesday this week.

Weather maps have captured the sheer scale of Storm Isha's rain as it lashes the UK.

Maps from WXCharts show a 560-mile wall of rain caused by the storm.

They capture blue, yellow and red streaks showing where the rain will strike hardest, with up to 5mm of rain falling per hour in some places.

At the same time, other maps show severe winds reaching up to 90mph will push much of that rain into the country.

Multiple flights from Bristol Airport have been cancelled this evening due to Storm Isha's vicious winds.

Passengers have taken to social media to ask about the status of their planned flights as some planes were filmed struggling to touch down on runways.

One user asked: "Can anyone tell me if flight FR512 to Dublin is going to be cancelled before I set off into this storm? Phone keeps ringing off."

Another added: "Hello, the 19:55 flight from Bristol to Aberdeen says it’s cancelled on Bristol Airport website but says it’s still going on your website. Could you clarify what is actually happening please?"

Bristol Airport has asked people to check the status of their flights via the airline with which they are travelling.

ScotRail has suspended all of its rail services today due to storm Isha's dangerous winds.

The major operators have said no trains will run after 7pm today amid warnings of a "danger to life".

Several national lines are running timetables altered for special services or by "minor delays".

They include:

Transport for Wales: Minor delays

Chiltern Railways: Minor delays

Cross Country: Minor delays

First TransPennine Express: Minor delays

Island Line: Minor delays

Lumo: Minor delays

Avanti West Coast: Special service

East Midlands Railway: Special service

Gatwick Express: Special service

Great Northern: Special service

Great Western Railway: Special service

Greater Anglia: Special service

London North Eastern Railway: Special service

Northern Rail: Special service

ScotRail: Special service

South Western Railway: Special service

Southeastern: Special service

Southern: Special service

Thameslink: Special service

A dramatic video shows the wind battering Boscombe beach in Dorset as seaside towns are starting to bear the brunt of chaos being caused by Storm Isha.

Brits are being advised to stay away from UK beaches as the Met Office issued "danger to life" amber weather warnings for wind, with giant waves likely to crash into British coastlines.

Some train companies have issued an urgent 'do not travel' warning during Storm Isha, as thousands of travellers are facing severe delays and cancellations due to the severe weather warnings for wind and rain.

Avanti West Coast is urging Brits against all travel today, while a number of services in Scotland have been cancelled.

Southeastern Railway is cancelling early Monday trains before 6am coming in and out of London in order to check for debris on the tracks, while ScotRail has cancelled all services outside the central belt from 7pm tonight.

Some Monday morning commuter services in and out of London have already been cancelled tomorrow morning, as parts of the UK are expected to see gusts of up to 90mph.

LNER has urged passengers to avoid travelling north of Edinburgh between 4pm today and 12 noon tomorrow, while TransPennine is urging people not to travel between Preston and Edinburgh/Glasgow during the stormy weather.

National Highways have issued an Amber Severe Weather alert for gales in the South West, South East, East Midlands, West Midlands, North West and North East regions of the country from 6pm tonight until 3am on Monday morning.

It comes as the Met Office has warned of winds up to 90mph in the Western Isles, with road closures and power cuts a high possibility. The Orwell Bridge on the A14 in Ipswich will be closed from midday on Sunday.

Forecasters at the Met Office have issued an updated 'danger to life' warning which now covers most of the UK.

The amber alert - which is in place for 13 regions of Britain and counting - will come into effect for 12 hours between 6pm tonight and 6am on Sunday morning.

Dramatic pictures have captured Storm Isha as it looms towards Ireland before Britain is expected to bear the brunt of the impace later today.

Rose O'Neill, who lives on Ireland's Cork Coast, shared the gloomy photo on social media, showing dark skies and clouds on the horizon, which are getting closer and closer after barreling over the Atlantic over the past 48 hours.

Weather warnings are in place across the UK from later today.

The Met Office has released its latest weather forecast as Storm Isha now just hours away from causing travel chaos in Britain.

Incredible photos have revealed huge waves battering into UK shores this morning.

Giant waves battered Newhaven Harbour in East Sussex as Storm Isha pummels the UK - bringing gale force winds and heavy rain to all parts of the country.

The highest winds are predicted in the Western Isles after midnight, with gusts of up to 90mph.

Experts have warned that there is a chance that homes and businesses could be flooded, causing damage to some buildings.

Where flooding occurs, there is a slight chance of widespread travel chaos, including delays or cancellations to train and bus services, while high winds could lead to road and bridge closures, as well as flight cancellations.

Spray and flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures, while the Met Office warned that "damage to buildings and homes is possible", with the risk of roofs being blown off and power lines brought down.

Most importantly, flying debris could result in a danger to life, while there is potential for large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties.

The latest weather maps have revealed which parts of the UK will be battered by the strongest winds, with coastal areas set to be worst affected.

WX Charts show that the heaviest winds will be in England, Wales, and the south of Scotland - with the north of Scotland escaping some of the heaviest 80mph gales.

However, the entire country will be affected by heavy rain, with the Met Office warning that there is a high risk of flooding.

Weather forecasters have predicted a "rare" spell of freezing rain for the UK on Tuesday morning, when Met Office weather warnings will still be in place for some parts of the country in the aftermarth of Storm Isha.

Dramatic UK weather maps have turned blue and orange - signifying rain and freezing rain respectively.

Freezing rain is a midwinter phenomenon where ice-cold rain freezes the surfaces on which it falls.

Short-lived freezing rain showers could fall over parts of the country already coated in snow at 9am on January 23, the latest maps reveal.

There are a total of eight Met Office weather warnings in effect over the next few days. These include:

Sunday, January 21

Amber warning for wind covering Central, Tayside & Fife, North East England, North West England, Northern Ireland, SW Scotland, Lothian Borders, South West England, Strathclyde, Wales, Yorkshire & Humber in effect between 6pm on Sunday and 9am on Monday.

Yellow warning for rain covering North East England, North West England and Yorkshire & Humber between midnight today and 6am tomorrow.

Monday, January 22

Amber warning for wind covering London and South East England between midnight on Sunday and 9am on Sunday.

Tuesday, January 23

Yellow weather alert for wind covering Central, Tayside & Fife, East Midlands, Grampian, Highlands & Eilean Siar, North East England, North West England, Northern Ireland, Orkney & Shetland, SW Scotland, Lothian Borders, Strathclyde, Wales, Yorkshire & Humber between 4pm on Tuesday and 12 noon on Wednesday.

New weather maps show that the UK will be hammered by torrential rain within hours.

The latest charts - provided by WX Charts using data from the Metdesk - show that at 9pm tonight the entirety of Britain will be covered by a massive wall of rain.

Yellow alerts have been issued covering the entire country, while the Met Office has warned that "heavy rain will lead to some flooding and transport disruption on Sunday".