Storm Jocelyn wreaked havoc on the UK on Wednesday, sparking a huge rescue operation after reports emerged of a person falling in the raging sea.
Just days after Storm Isha barrelled through the British isles, Jocelyn delivered 97mph gales to huge swathes of the country and its surrounding waters. On Tuesday night, rescuers continued to scour the waves off the coast of Porthcawl in south Wales after the alarm was raised at around 6pm.
Rescue teams continued their search off the coast of Porthcawl, south Wales late into the evening after the alarm was raised just before 6pm that same day. A spokesperson from HM Coastguard said their helicopter from St Athan was "supporting the search", along with the RNLI's all-weather lifeboats from Mumbles and Barry Dock. South Wales Police was also alerted.
Public transport in many locations was scrapped completely due to the severity of the storm. Train passengers were told there would be no journeys running north of Preston, while drivers were told to avoid the roads, and to not park near trees due to the risk of them toppling in the mighty gales.
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Gales, snow and rain to batter country today with 80mph wind gusts
This morning, Brits were involved in a massive cleanup operation after Storm Jocelyn barrelled her way across the isles, uprooting trees and causing widespread travel chaos.
A number of weather warnings remain in place for a few more hours today as high winds remain in several locations.
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Network Rail Scotland shared a picture of a large trampoline on the line at Livingston South.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, they said: “We’re arranging a temporary switch off of the overhead wires so we can remove it safely.
“Once that’s done, the @CalSleeper locomotive waiting at Midcalder can move forward to inspect the Shotts line for us.”
They urged anyone who sees something that could affect the safety of trains, or debris or fallen trees on the tracks, to 03457 11 41 41 to reach the company’s 24/7 helpline.
A plane full of passengers declared an emergency after failing to land at Manchester Airport several times because of high winds.
The Singapore Airlines Airbus A350 had been due to land at Manchester after taking off from Singapore Changi Airport at around 2.30am this morning. However, after two attempts to touch down were missed it declared an emergency, believed to be over a lack of fuel, and instead flew south to East Midlands Airport where it landed safely.
It comes amid high winds caused by Storm Jocelyn in the area, sparking a yellow warning from the Met Office which remains in place until 3pm today.
Tips to stop windscreen freezing and prevent blades from sticking to window
Traffic driving through rain on the M4 near Bridgend (PA)Almost 2,500 homes have been left without power in Scotland after Storm Jocelyn pounded the country with gale force winds overnight.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks Distribution said it had reconnected 2,200 properties by 8am on Wednesday. But thousands more remain without electricity.
Andy Smith, operations director at SSEN Distribution, said: “Jocelyn is the second severe storm the north of Scotland has faced in three days, and I’d like to thank our customers for their patience while we respond to it.
“Our network has held up well overnight given the strength of winds we have seen across western and northern Scotland, but our teams still face another day of challenging conditions as we work hard to reconnect all of our customers.”
Flood warnings and alerts have been put in place across Yorkshire as Storm Jocelyn continues to hit the country.
Strong winds have impacted much of Yorkshire overnight, with heavy winds impacting a number of other places. Yellow weather warnings for wind have been implemented by the Met Office across all of Yorkshire, with the warnings set to expire at 1pm in western areas and 3pm in eastern and southern areas.
As a result of the storm, a number of different flood warnings and alerts have come into force in Yorkshire so far.
Flooding has hit parts of Yorkshire as a result of the storm with the city of York bearing the brunt of heavy rain. Many parts of the city are underwater with homes and businesses flooded.
Flood water at Naburn Lock on the outskirts of York (PA)
Tributes have been paid to a retired NHS nurse who died after plunging down a hole left by workmen on his way back from the pub.
Father-of-two Andrew Barker, 56, was found dead in a hole dug by gas engineers on Monday morning.
Safety barriers erected at the site in Bradford, West Yorks., were blown over by Storm Isha and openings in the road were visible, locals said.
Lifelong pal Richard Elliot said of Andrew: “He was the life and soul around anyone, everyone and everywhere he touched and was present.
"You meet very few people in your life who mean so much to you. Andy was this person to me, a funnier person you could not meet. A real character for sure.
“He was highly intelligent, professional, charismatic, loving and - luckily for me - my best friend. I will miss him very much.”
Andrew Barker, who died after falling down a hole at a Northern Gas Networks site on his road (Richard Elliott / SWNS)Yet another weather warning has been issued in connection with Storm Jocelyn.
This time, the yellow advisory is for the north east of England, and relates to the "strong winds in association with Storm Jocelyn, leading to possible disruption to travel and utilities", writes the Met Office.
In a statement, the forecaster wrote: "Strong winds in association with Storm Jocelyn continuing across northern parts of the UK into this afternoon, but gradually easing from the west.
"Winds are widely expected to gust 55-65 mph, with a few exposed locations and over high ground possibly seeing in excess of 70 mph.
"Gusts of 55-65 mph are fairly typical for a winter storm across these areas, but following the impacts caused by Storm Isha resilience is expected to be lower and it may also hamper any ongoing recovery and repair efforts."
Storm Jocelyn weather warnings in place today (Press Association Images)Images taken at a number of busy UK train stations show deserted platorms as rail travel came to a halt in many regions as Storm Jocelyn continues to wreak havoc.
Travellers wishing to arrive in or leave Scotland will have to wait as all journeys have been suspended until at least 12pm. Network Rail Scotland said it had to manage flooding, fallen trees and damage caused by the powerful gales.
In England, Avanti West Coast told its passengers they cannot travel north of Preston until at least the same time.
Passengers rest on seats at Edinburgh Waverley station as all trains were cancelled (PA)
Though the UK will awake to another day of stormy weather, the rest of the day looks somewhat more positive.
Today:
A day of sunny spells and blustery showers, though the south will be mainly dry. Winds gradually easing from the south as Storm Jocelyn moves away from the UK. Turning cloudy from the southwest later with patchy light rain.
Tonight:
Light winds and clear skies with a frost likely in the north and east. Cloud and outbreaks of mostly light rain moving northeast from southwest England.
The Welsh coastguard has ended its search for a person who fell into the sea in Porthcawl in Wales amid this week's storm.
The alarm was first raised at around 6pm. After several hours of scouring the waves in dangerous conditions, the search had to be called off.
Rescuers plan to make a decision on further action this morning.
Tourists pose for a photo in Co. Clare, Ireland (PA)A Hamilton school campus was closed due to storm damage and hundreds of fallen trees are being cleared across Lanarkshire in the aftermath of Storm Isha - with the next weather system already on its way.
St Ninian's Primary in Hillhouse and the adjoining Whithorn support base for pupils with additional support needs were closed on Tuesday for roof repairs following the impact of the high winds.
The Met Office confirmed that the Lanarkshire weather monitoring station at Salsburgh recorded the highest wind speed in Scotland during Sunday night's storm with a gust registering 84 miles per hour.
Pupils and familes at St Ninian's and Whithorn were informed of the closure on Tuesday morning.
A spokesperson for South Lanarkshire Council said: "The storm caused damage to the roof and to allow repairs to be made safely, the school was closed; the repairs have now been carried out and the school will re-open on Wednesday."
It came after two Clydesdale schools were closed due to power issues on Monday, while another seven opened later than usual to pupils following the challenging weather.
Five roads across South Lanarkshire remained closed by Tuesday afternoon, including Overton Road in Netherburn due to a dangerous tree, Devonbrae and Brocketsbrae Road due to a damaged overhead power line following a tree fall, and flooding at Holehouse Road in East Kilbride, Westburn Road in Cambuslang and Stonehouse Road in Sandford.
The Queen Elizabeth II bridge at the Dartford Crossing, M48 Severn Bridge and A66 in County Durham and Cumbria were closed due to high winds with the Humber Bridge, A19 Tees Flyover and the Woodhead Pass in Derbyshire and South Yorkshire closed to high-sided vehicles.
The M1 was also closed in both directions to high-sided vehicles at Junction 34 for Sheffield, according to Traffic England.
In Scotland, the A76 was closed in both directions between Skelmorlie and Largs due to water breaking over the sea wall. The Forth Bridge was open to cars and single decker buses with restrictions on high-sided vehicles on several bridges.
Eight flights were cancelled at Dublin Airport and four at Glasgow Airport on Tuesday evening.
An amber warning for wind, issued by the Met Office, is in place across the north and west of Scotland until 8am on Wednesday with a yellow warning in place until 1pm across Scotland, Northern Ireland, north Wales and northwest England. A further yellow warning runs until 3pm across northeast England, the Midlands and south Wales.
Waves break on the sea front in Blackpool (PA)Storm Jocelyn's powerful gales and torrential downpours have caused widespread travel disruption across the UK< with rail operators some of the hardest hit.
Further transport disruption is expected with rail services to and from Scotland suspended until at least noon on Wednesday.
Martin Thomson, national operations manager for resilience at Transport Scotland, said: "Across the wider network, we can expect to see more delays and cancellations with ferries, flights and rail into Wednesday morning."
Undated handout photo issued by Network Rail Scotland of tree that fell onto the overhead wires at Whitecraigs station (PA)Network Rail Scotland said it had dealt with incidents including flooding, fallen trees and a shed roof blowing onto a high wall above a track on Tuesday evening and would be inspecting routes for damage from first light.
A statement said: "It'll be done in many ways - teams on foot, in road-rail vehicles, freight locos and empty passenger trains. Our helicopter will be out too, as soon as winds ease."
ScotRail said all lines will be checked before services restart, saying "it will be later on in the day before any trains can run".
Avanti West Coast told passengers not to attempt to travel north of Preston until at least noon on Wednesday and warned journeys in northwest England may take longer due to speed restrictions.
In Snowdonia, wind gusts peaked at 97mph. This dropped to 79mph in Aberdaron, Wales, and 77mph in Shap, Cumbria.
Honister Pass in Cumbria was drenched in 77mm of rain - which is about half the area's average for the whole of January.
This morning, the Met Office predicts gusts could hit 80mph in some exposed areas. 40-50mm of rain is also possible over higher ground.
People walk in the rain near Aldwych, central London (PA)Some weather watchers have already suggested that Storm Jocelyn, which peaked last night between 10pm and 2am this morning, was stronger than Storm Isha.
Earlier this week, Storm Isha's powerful gales devastated huge swathes of Britain, causing five deaths, forcing schools to close, and leading to widespread travel chaos.
Yep peak was to be 10pm to 2am but they continued into the night. Managed 48mph in the end overnight so beating #StormIsha overall. https://t.co/EYlfUHvcrg
— Oldham Weather (@ChadWeather) January 24, 2024
Rail services from the North West to Scotland have been issued with 'do not travel' advice north of Preston, affecting some TransPennine Express and Avanti West Coast services from Greater Manchester.
#AWCWeather - Severe weather to affect some Avanti West Coast routes until 12:00
— National Rail (@nationalrailenq) January 24, 2024
â¹ï¸ More information:https://t.co/yGJvZYk3SA
An Irish council has been slammed after homeless residents were denied access to emergency accomodation during the storm.
Wexford County Council usually advises rough sleepers to make contact with Ozanam House, but local politicians and homelessness charities said several people were turned away, reports the Irish Independent.
A major search has been launched at sea during Storm Jocelyn following reports of a person in the water.
Rescue teams continued their search off the coast of Porthcawl, south Wales late into the evening after the alarm was raised just before 6pm on Tuesday. A spokesperson from HM Coastguard said their helicopter from St Athan is "supporting the search", along with the RNLI's all-weather lifeboats from Mumbles and Barry Dock. South Wales Police has also been alerted.
A toppled tree after York's River Ouse burst its bank (Lee McLean/SWNS)
