Hundreds of schools across the UK are closed today as Storm Chandra brings strong winds, heavy rain and more than 100 flood warnings.<\/p>\n
Over 350 schools are now confirmed to be closed in Northern Ireland, alongside 47 in Devon. <\/p>\n
Northern Ireland is experiencing severe weather, with an amber Met Office wind warning issued in the east, alongside and a yellow warning for wind and rain covering all regions.<\/p>\n
In Devon, a severe flood warning \u2013 signalling potential danger to life \u2013 has been issued for the River Otter. Firefighters in Devon and Cornwall rescued 25 people from vehicles trapped in floodwater earlier.<\/p>\n
Many other parts of the UK are also covered by yellow weather warnings, including parts of South Wales and Cornwall, the South East, and the North. Much of Southern and central Scotland also has yellow warnings in place.<\/p>\n
You can check the status of your child\u2019s school here (England and Wales):<\/p>\n
Richard Foord, Liberal Democrat MP for Honiton and Sidmouth, said that \u201cit has been a truly horrendous night\u201d, and confirmed that the River Otter had reached its \u201chighest recorded ever level\u201d.<\/p>\n
He posted on social media: \u201cFlooding is expected this morning, with heavy rain continuing to fall throughout the day. We are predicting that some flood defences will be overtopped.\u201d<\/p>\n
The severe weather has caused travel disruption across the UK, with several roads and rail lines closed. Many airports are also experiencing long delays, with some flights from Belfast and Scotland cancelled on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) said about 10,000 properties are currently without power, which the service is responding to. Meanwhile, the overnight ferries between Liverpool and Belfast ferry in both directions on Stena Line were cancelled, and the morning sailing from Belfast to Liverpool has remained in port.<\/p>\n
Met Office Chief Forecaster, Paul Gundersen, said: \u201cStorm Chandra will bring a range of hazards to the UK through Monday night and Tuesday. Initially strong winds will impact the Isles of Scilly, western Cornwall and southwest Wales which are still vulnerable after Storm Goretti, gusts of 70 to 80mph are possible here. Heavy rain is an additional hazard as it falls on saturated ground in Dorset and southern parts of Devon, Somerset and Cornwall.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs Chandra interacts with colder air further north snow becomes a hazard, with 10-20cm of snow possibly accumulating over higher ground in the Pennines, southern Scotland and the Highlands. With a complex spell of weather, its important people stay up to date with the forecast and any warnings in your area.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hundreds of schools across the UK are closed today as Storm Chandra brings strong winds, heavy rain and more than 100 flood warnings. Over 350 schools are now confirmed to be closed in Northern Ireland, alongside 47 in Devon. Northern Ireland is experiencing severe weather, with an amber Met Office wind warning issued in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5347,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[173],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n