UK tornado warnings as 80mph Storm Debi winds spark danger to life - live

Another storm brings dramatic weather to the UK

High winds and rain from Storm Debi have caused road closures and disruption to public transport across the UK.

Amber and yellow weather warnings for rain and wind remain in place for England, Wales and Scotland this afternoon, with the Met Office saying there could be a "danger to life" in the worst-hit areas. Northern Ireland has borne the brunt of the weather so far, and police in some areas have urged people to stay at home.

One of the highest gusts recorded on Monday morning was a wind speed of 74mph at Killowen in Co Down.

About 2,000 people were also left without power due to the storm, mainly around Craigavon, Newry and Downpatrick. In the Republic of Ireland, falling debris from Storm Debi has resulted in one woman in County Limerick being taken to hospital.

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Fourth major storm comes earlier than previous years

Storm Debi, which was named by Met Éireann, the Irish Meteorological Service, is the UK's fourth named windstorm so far this autumn.

This is the earliest that we have reached the letter 'D' in the alphabet since the storm naming system was introduced in 2015.

The fourth storm is more typical in December, as with Storm Deirdre in 2018, which battered the country with rain and snow.

Ferries cancelled

Ferries to and from the Isle of Man have been cancelled today due to "extreme" conditions in the Irish Sea.

The 8.45am service from the capital of Douglas to Heysham in England and the scheduled 3pm return trip have been cancelled. Some flights to the island have also been disrupted.

Tips to stop windscreen freezing and prevent blades from sticking to window

Wet and windy evening ahead

More wet and windy weather is expected in the north tonight - while it'll be a mixed picture elsewhere in the country.

The Met Office forecast for Monday evening reads: "Rain will turn showery in the north and northeast overnight, as winds ease. Elsewhere there will be a mix of clear spells and showers, some heavy, thundery and rather blustery."

Waves batter the coast

Huge waves have lashed the UK coastline today - including in Folkestone, Kent, where the harbour arm has taken a battering.

Waves crash over the harbour arm in Folkestone, Kent (PA)

Locals mourn destruction of 'famous' tree

A much loved and photographed tree at a beauty spot in Northern Ireland has been claimed by the strong winds.
The tree at the Rusheen Park in Garrison, Co Fermanagh, was described by residents as "iconic" and a staple for local photographers. But after Strom Debi swept in earlier this morning with wind speeds exceeding 70mph, the tree has now sadly been uprooted.

Storm Debi claims one of the most photographed trees around Lough Melvin. https://t.co/vJIxaYhJlI

— Barra Best (@barrabest) November 13, 2023

Met Office reveals where gales peaked

Gusts so far today peaked at 77mph, the Met Office has said, as it reveals which parts of the UK have so far seen the strongest gales.

The strongest winds from #StormDebi were across Northern Ireland and northwest Wales earlier today, with the peak wind gusts more recently on Irish Sea coasts in northern England

Stay #WeatherAware if you're out and about today and especially so if travelling pic.twitter.com/wx8w7NSGN2

— Met Office (@metoffice) November 13, 2023

Debris left behind by passing storm

Here are the scenes in Oranmore, Co Galway, where moving Storm Debi has left debris strewn across the sea front. Stone has come loose from a wall while rubbish has been thrown across the beach.

The debris left behind after Storm Debi wiped out the sea wall on the Coast Road beside Oranmore Train Station, Co Galway (PA)

Storm wreaks havoc on railways

The storm is causing disruption on Scotland's rail network currently, grinding some lines to a halt altogether.

Network Rail Scotland said speed limits will have to be put in place as a result of the weather. It's after the Met Office has issued a yellow warning of heavy rain for Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen, Angus and Moray which is now in place until 9pm on Monday.

Trains are unable to run on the line between Dumfries and Sanquhar as a result of heavy flooding. A restriction is already in place as a result of the weather on the West Highland line between Garelochhead and Crianlarich.

Line from RoI to East of England 'most likely' parts to see tornadoes

Wind conditions may be enough to see tornadoes in some parts, the UK’s Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (TORRO) has said. The organisation issued a warning earlier this morning over the phenomena.

A spokesperson said: “The highest chance would appear to be in a line from SW RoI, through parts of mid/N Wales into the Midlands and eastern England, near the triple point of the system. However, the box is somewhat larger, just to cater for the chance of development elsewhere.

“Additionally, strong straight-line gusts are possible too, associated with convection (as well as with the gradient flow from the storm, as mentioned above). Occasional CG lightning (cloud-to-ground lightning) is possible too. Finally, a few incidences of hail cannot be ruled out, especially with stronger cells – perhaps close to severe levels in one or two places.”

TORRO Tornado Watch 2023/008 issued valid from 0000 GMT until 1200 GMT Monday 13th November 2023. #StormDebi https://t.co/tt2BEX87CM pic.twitter.com/0JpAVkSz35

— TORRO (@TorroUK) November 12, 2023

Storm washes boats onto harbour

The wrath of Storm Debi has cast boats onto the shore in this part of Ireland.

Pictures show the boats washed onto land near the harbour in Galway on Monday morning.

Galway is used to storms but I’ve never seen boats washed up at the Claddagh before #StormDebi pic.twitter.com/weSVAflyFG

— Paul O’Brien (@PGaillimh) November 13, 2023

Yellow warning for tomorrow

The Met Office have now issued a yellow warning for southerners tomorrow.

Brits in the South East, London and South West have been warned of thunderstorms through Tuesday morning. A spokesperson said the weather could result in damage to some buildings and distruption to travel plans. The warning is in place throughout the morning until midday.

Yellow weather warning issued

Thundery rain and squally winds across southern England
Tuesday 0500 – 1200

Latest info https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfs

Stay #WeatherAware pic.twitter.com/NuIhSZ3R9B

— Met Office (@metoffice) November 13, 2023

Storm Debi leaves woman in hospital

An Irish postwoman was taken to hospital after being hit by flying debris in County Limerick during Storm Debi, according to the postal service.
In a statement, a spokeswoman for An Post said: "Thankfully she was not seriously injured."
An Post has adjusted schedules due to the storm and deliveries in the north, midlands, south and east of the country will be delayed due to road conditions and power outages.

New weather warning for Brits hit by deluge

The Met Office has issued another warning for Brits, this time for rain in parts of the North West.

The yellow warning is in place for Lancashire and parts of south Cumbria from 11am today until 6pm. It's the second weather warning covering the region alongside an amber alert for wind, and the fifth overall in place across the country today.

Blackpool, where Storm Debi is due to hit (Getty Images)

Flooding in parts of Ireland

Part of Ireland has been majorly flooded as seawater combined, with heavy rain, overwhelmed the town of Salthill, Co Galway, in the early hours of this morning.
Photos posted on social media show cars submerged up to their headlights parked near the seafront in the town.
The images were shared by Carlow Weather, who posted this morning that "Official stations show top gusts from Storm Debi was 113kmh at Knock Airport."

"Photos from Salthill in Galway by Neasa Conneally show cars flooded on the prom. Who parks their car there during Storm Debi?" Also reports of damage at Oranmore in Galway with sort of sea wall collapsed from storm surge."

Oh dear who parked their cars on the prom in Salthill Galway during #StormDebi

If you zoom in on Neasa’s photo you can only see the roof of some cars https://t.co/GW6qbLTrPf

— Carlow Weather (@CarlowWeather) November 13, 2023

Record gusts so far of nearly 80mph

As Storm Debi sweeps across the Irish Sea, wind speeds have already reached a recorded 77mph. The Met Office says gales could reach 80mph in some coastal areas.

The centre of #StormDebi is now crossing the Irish Sea bringing severe gales in places. Recent gusts include 74 mph at Killowen in County Down, Northern Ireland and 77 mph at Aberdaron, Gwynedd, Wales

In addition, heavy rain may bring surface water flooding in places pic.twitter.com/sUqUC1D9nJ

— Met Office (@metoffice) November 13, 2023

Weather warning spreads to Scotland

Scotland has now also been hit with a yellow weather warning.

Forecasters warn that torrential rain across northeast Scotland may result in travel disruption and flooding on Monday, with a chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater causing 'danger to life. The warning is in force for parts of Scotland from 10am until 9pm on Monday, November 13. The areas of north-east Scotland likely to see heavy rain were also battered by Storm Babet last month, including Brechin in Angus, where hundreds of homes had to be evacuated after the river South Esk breached its banks.
Rain during Sunday night is forecast to become more persistent on Monday, with heavy downpours throughout the day as Storm Debi takes hold. As much as 30-50mm of rain could fall fairly widely across parts of Scotland in around 12 hours, the Met Office warns.

Thousands of homes hit by powercuts

Around 100,000 homes in Ireland have been hit by powercuts this morning during Storm Debi.

Heavy winds and fallen trees have been reported across the country as local authorities begin to assess the damage. The ESB said it would have to work late through the night to return power to customers.

An ESB spokesman said approximately 100,000 customers were without power supply at 7.45am on Monday due to Storm Debi. Brian Tapley, of ESB Networks, said the worst affected areas are Tuam, Longford, the Midlands, Ashbourne and Navan. "Obviously, the storm is still impacting different parts of the country so we'll be slow to send out crews until it is safe to do so, but any emergency calls are being attended to," he told RTE Radio.

Storm Debi hits Ireland (wxcharts.com)

Map shows parts of Ireland hit by red warnings

Here's where in Ireland is affected by the highest-level weather warnings on Monday:

Status Red - Wind warning for Meath (5.00am to 8.00am) Please stay indoors and stay safe. Extremely gusty on Sunday night and early Monday due to Storm Debi with potential danger to life. #VisionZero #StaySafe pic.twitter.com/TwTp2bQrc0

— Meath County Council (@meathcoco) November 12, 2023

Met Eireann urges extreme caution

Ireland's weather desk has warned of extremely dangerous conditions out there today. A red warning - the highelst level alert - came into effect for Dublin and surrounding counties at 5am this morning for extreme winds.

Alongside school closures, Dublin's bus services have confirmed that no services will operate this morning until the 10am window is reached. Irish Rail meanwhile is still operating, although trains are working to speed limits which could result in some delays.

Schools close in Ireland

Outside of the UK, parts of the Republic of Ireland are set to be hit hard by Storm Debi.

The highest-level red alerts have been issued for parts of the country throughout Monday, with several schools announcing they will be closing. More here.

(WX Chart)

Weather maps

These maps show which parts of the UK will be worst hit. A yellow warning is currently out for most of the North, North Wales and Northern Ireland. But the Met Office last night upgraded this to an amber 'risk to life' warning in some areas.

Weather warnings in place for Monday (Met Office)

Full two-day UK forecast issued by the Met Office as Storm Debi rages

The Met Office has released its three-day weather forecast covering the UK today and tomorrow. The forecaster said:

Today:

Wet and windy weather associated with Storm Debi will move northeastwards across the UK today. Potentially damaging wind gusts affecting Northern Ireland, northern England and the north and west of Wales. Turning brighter with blustery showers from the southwest.

Tonight:

Rain will turn showery in the north and northeast overnight, as winds ease. Elsewhere there will be a mix of clear spells and showers, some heavy, thundery and rather blustery.

Tuesday:

Tuesday will be a breezy day with sunshine and showers. Showers will be locally heavy and thundery, perhaps merging to give more persistent rain in the north and far south.

Storm Debi blasts Brits with 80mph winds as danger to life amber weather warning issued

A weather warning for wind - caused by the raging Storm Debi - has been upgraded to the amber level as its feared to be even more destructive than first thought.

Gales of up to 80mph are set to batter Britain throughout Monday, with the risk of tornados likely in some regions. Several weather warnings are in place, all of which were yellow until last night when the Met Office upgraded one to the next level of severity.

It concerns wind forecast for County Armagh and County Down in Northern Ireland, where flying debris is likely and "could lead to injuries or danger to life". A further warning was also issued for parts of north west England.

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