WeatherA Met Office weather warning says travel disruption ahead of Christmas is likely
UK weather- 60/70mph winds
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The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning as strong winds brought trees down on top of cars and closed rail lines causing chaos in the run-up to Christmas.
Gales are expected to reach up to 80mph in some areas, with all of Scotland and large swathes of England set to be affected from midnight tonight until Thursday evening.
The warning comes with a caution for Brits heading home for Christmas ahead of the weekend, saying that they should expect travel disruptions on roads and train services.
Network Rail has cancelled several services in Scotland on Thursday morning as staff check the lines for debris and damage.
British Airways has grounded two dozen domestic and European flights to and from London Heathrow, including multiple links to and from Amsterdam.
It comes as it is revealed there is “high degree of confidence” that the UK will see snow over the Christmas period.
“We can say with a high degree of confidence it will be a white Christmas this year,” Met Office spokesperson Grahame Madge told The Independent.
“However that does not mean we will see blankets of snow. It is more likely we will see snow in higher parts of the UK like the North Pennines or Scottish Highlands.”
1703158365Live stream of planes battling to land at Manchester AirportA pair of planespotters are taking the internet by storm as they livestream flights attempting to land at Manchester Airport during Storm Pia.
The Airliners Live account have been filming for several hours.
One EasyJet pilot was praised by the followers for managing to land as his Boeing 747 was blown from side to side in excruciating footage.
Barney Davis21 December 2023 11:32
1703157735Liverpool Christmas Market cancelled due to high windsLiverpool’s Christmas Market has been cancelled by the council as Storm Pia is expected to cause damage.
Staff at St George’s Hall were said to be monitoring developments to see if the market can reopen later in the evening for last-minute shoppers.
Flooding has also been reported in nearby Bebington.
Barney Davis21 December 2023 11:22
1703157307Thousands lose power during Storm PiaEngineers have restored power to more than 6,700 properties as Storm Pia has hit the region.
Tree branches and debris have caused widespread damage bringing down overhead power lines as winds have hit already 55mph with peak gusts expected until 5pm.
Electricity North West Engineers are working to restore power to the remaining 2,800 properties with already more than 20 individual damages to the network reported.
They added the high winds have caused issues for teams on site, making it unsafe for lines teams to climb and make repairs.
Impact has been across Lancashire and Cumbria with damage also reported in the Peak District.
Samantha Loukes, Electricity North West’s incident manager, said: “Fresh off two major weather incidents already this month, our teams are again responding and battling the elements brought by Storm Pia.
“We are well prepared and having already made substantial progress this morning, teams remain on site carrying out repairs where trees and branches have damaged overhead lines.
“For the North West, we’re expecting the worst of the winds to hit the region from 10am until 2pm but our forecast along with the Met Office warning remains in place until midnight.
“As always, if you see lines down or damage to any of our equipment, stay well clear and call us on 105 so we can make the area safe.”
(Electricity North West)
Barney Davis21 December 2023 11:15
1703157214Roof of Royal Armouries ripped off by Storm PiaThe Royal Armouries in Leeds have been forced to close an exhibition after a section of its roof was damaged in Storm Pia.
The museum said it hoped to re-open the gallery tomorrow.
It came as a number of flights have been cancelled at nearby Leeds Bradford Airport, as flyers are warned to wait for grounded flights.
Ten flights that were due to have departed this morning are still grounded at the airport.
Barney Davis21 December 2023 11:13
1703155841Falling trees causing havoc across rail networkOne East Midlands Rail train has been reportedly struck by a falling tree close to Derby.
Another tree hit a house in Stanley Common, Derbyshire and a petrol station, with other debris, such as bricks, leading to road closures.
Meanwhile in Ireland, the Belfast-Bangor line was blocked as Storm Pia caused chaos across the rail network.
Barney Davis21 December 2023 10:50
1703154482ScotRail impose speed limit and cancel trains amid Storm PiaA rail company has suspended a number of routes as Storm Pia strikes the North.
ScotRail posted on X: “Speed restrictions are in place today due to high winds caused by #StormPia For safety reasons, the decision has been taken to suspend our services on a number of routes.
“We have requested replacement transport, however availability is extremely low.”
Travellers have been warned of “short notice changes to journeys” on ScotRail services and are advised to check ahead, while additional engineers will be deployed to deal with any incidents.
Stephen Dixon, a Met Office spokesman, said: “It is quite a wide wind warning area. Gusts are forecast quite widely to be 45mph to 55mph, possibly 65mph to 70mph to the east of high ground in Scotland.
“The strongest winds are likely to be found in the north and north-east of Scotland, including the Northern Isles, with 70mph to 80mph in the morning.”
(PA Wire)
Barney Davis21 December 2023 10:28
1703153107Man rushed to hospital after number of trees fall on to road in Storm PiaDerbyshire Police have closed a number of main roads this morning as heavy winds batter the country felling trees.
The A515 at Clifton is currently closed due to fallen trees and a collision. One man has been taken to hospital, the force said.
A spokesman said: “A number of trees have fallen on to the road. The road is expected to closed for most of the day so motorists are advised to find alternative routes.”
Barney Davis21 December 2023 10:05
1703151893Surge in network traffic in WFH boost as workers look to avoid Storm PiaBroadband providers are seeing a surge in internet use as workers opt to avoid travel chaos and work from home.
Jimmy Acton, Chief Digital Officer at full-fibre broadband provider 4th Utility, said: “Clearly, more people across the country are choosing to stay indoors to work from home, so we’re seeing a significant uptick in network traffic, with many making extensive use of high-bandwidth platforms like Google Hangouts, Teams, and Zoom for video conferencing.
“Today and over the next few days, our dedicated team of skilled engineers will be working hard to ensure our service continues to function seamlessly. In the event of disruptions, they will be on hand to provide assistance and repair core services to maintain connectivity during the storm.”
Barney Davis21 December 2023 09:44
1703151653Flyaway bag causing mayhem on train power linesRail engineers are working to clear a bag that had blown into the power lines of a critical train route causing diversions.
Due to damage to the overhead electric wires between Macclesfield and Stoke-On-Trent, all lines are blocked.
Train services running through these stations may be delayed or diverted via Crewe.
A Network Rail account tweeted: “Our engineers are working to remove a bag that has been caught on the overhead power lines.
“Please check with @nationalrailenq and train operators before you travel. Sorry for delays to your journey while we work hard to get you on the move.”
(Network Rail)
Barney Davis21 December 2023 09:40
1703150627Tree crushes white van as wild winds whip YorkshireSheffield Council street teams have said Storm Pia “is making her presence felt” as they deal with debris closing roads.
They said: “Our teams are very busy this morning responding to reports of damaged & fallen #trees
“Due to the high volume of calls, we are currently prioritising any roads or footpaths that are blocked.”
Others have said to avoid Penistone Road next to Hillsborough Park as trees were seen toppled on vans.
Barney Davis21 December 2023 09:23
