There are a number of weather warnings covering the UK today, including a red weather warning covering the northeast of Scotland all day.
Major incidents were declared in parts of the UK after three people were killed as Storm Babet continues to batter the UK with high winds, torrential rain and severe flooding.
Across the UK, roads have closed and train services have been left in disarray or cancelled.
Suffolk and Derbyshire county councils declared major incidents, and a man died in fast-flowing floodwater in Shropshire.
Incredibly normal scenes here in the northeast of England as Storm Babet knocks the top off the South Shields lighthouse, which has been weathering storms since 1895.
— Jack Lowe (@MrJackLowe) October 20, 2023
A climate scientist was heard murmuring something about Earth Energy Imbalance…but meh. pic.twitter.com/vaf1RkynPl
It was the storm’s first death in England after a van driver was killed by a falling tree near Forfar, Scotland, and a woman was swept away in a river in Angus.
The storm also forced a passenger plane to skid off a runway at Leeds Bradford Airport. No one was injured.
The chief meteorologist for the Met Office, Jason Kelly, said: “100–150mm of rain is expected to fall quite widely within the warning period, with some locations likely to see 200–250mm, which is expected to cause considerable impacts with flooding likely.
“Storm Babet will track gradually northwards in the coming days, and although the most significant impacts are expected within the red and amber warning areas, there will still be wider impacts for much of the UK from this wind and rain.”
A spokesperson for the British Geological Survey said: “There is a history of coastal landslides within the warning area. Infrastructure slopes are also likely to be affected with potential for disruption to roads and railway within the warning area.”
The woods were moving like the sea this morning #StormBabet pic.twitter.com/u5cKVM0sjO
— Dan S. MacAbre-St. Saens (@dsnugentmalone) October 20, 2023
Six Scottish Professional Football League matches scheduled for today have been postponed because of the weather.
After consultation with Police Scotland, the Premiership match between Aberdeen and Dundee is off, as is St Johnstone versus Motherwell.
Games lower down the leagues at Arbroath, Cove, Greenock, Stenhousemuir and Elgin have also been postponed.
How to prepare against flooding
- Prepare a flood plan and a family emergency kit filled with essential supplies
- Keep an easily accessible list of useful contact numbers, including your insurance company and utility providers
- Charge your mobile phone
- Move vehicles out of the flood risk area
- Move important documents and valuable items to a higher place
- Shut off gas, electricity and water supplies
- Fit any flood protection products you have
The Met Office issued a new red warning for rain, meaning there is a risk to life, in eastern Scotland for all day on Saturday.
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