'Hurricane' pummels UK as Storm Antoni forces Brits to flee homes - live updates

Weather forecast for Sunday

Sunday is forecast to be more settled than today, with temperatures on the rise.

According to the Met Office: "Bright, with a mixture of sunny spells and scattered showers. Some of the showers will be on the heavy side, especially across western parts. Much lighter winds for all."

Monday to Wednesday continues in a similar vain, with the weather agency adding: "Largely dry on Monday, with sunny spells. Turning increasingly cloudy on Tuesday, with some patchy rain. Warmer on Wednesday, with the best of the sunshine in the north and east."

The weather is expected to be more settled in the days ahead (Sinai Noor/REX/Shutterstock)

All weather warnings across UK now lifted

As of 10pm, all weather warnings across the UK have been lifted by the Met Office.

Meteorologist Simon Partridge earlier this tonight: “The storm is going to clear through this evening, it will pretty much all be gone by midnight.”

Sunday is expected to see temperatures rise to 22C in parts with slightly more settled conditions.

Two-day 60k music festival cancelled due to weather

A two-day music festival where 60,000 people were due to attend was cancelled just before the gates opened as a result of safety fears today.

More than 80 artists - including Craig David, Patrick Topping, Sean Paul and Example - were set to perform at LooseFest in Newcastle.

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

Director of LooseFest Brian Austin said: "Shortly before the gates were due to open to the public we were advised by the safety team with the local authority in agreement, that the festival site was not safe to open.

"It was an extremely difficult decision, but the safety of every single person, from the festivalgoers to the artists, crew and everyone on site was paramount.

"It's a heartbreaking decision, but the right one, sadly the one thing we can't control is the weather."

And Eliot Walker, organiser of the annual Dorset jazz festival Stompin' On The Quomps, said he was "disappointed" he had to postpone this year's event, which 10,000 people were expected to attend, due to Storm Antoni.

The free festival in Christchurch Quay was forced to cancel its activities for the first time in its 30-year history.

Storm will 'pretty much all be gone by midnight' says meteorologist

Storm Antoni has seen half a month’s worth of rain fell on parts of the UK today.

Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge said gusts of 78mph were measured at Berry Head in Devon and 43mm of rain fell in Scarborough, North Yorkshire – almost half of August’s average rainfall.

He added that Great Western Railway had warned passengers not to travel between Exeter and Penzance due to the number of trees which had fallen on the tracks and a number of roads had also been blocked in Devon and Cornwall.

“The rain is still ongoing at the moment, there’s still a fair bit of thunder and rain, particularly across northern England and East Anglia,” Mr Partridge added.

“There has been some localised flooding.

“The storm is going to clear through this evening, it will pretty much all be gone by midnight.”

A Range Rover is left stranded in sewage floods under a railway bridge in Stockport (William Lailey SWNS)

Met Office issues graphic showing view of Storm Antoni from space

The Met Office has tweeted a graphic showing what Storm Antoni looks like from space.

A yellow weather warning for thunderstorms remains in place in parts of the south until 10pm.

Here is the view from space of #StormAntoni

Warnings remain in place through this evening

Stay #WeatherAware pic.twitter.com/g0Vphd3cnp

— Met Office (@metoffice) August 5, 2023

Sunday set to be brighter and less windy with 22C highs

Sunday is set to be brighter and less windy with no weather warnings in place, and temperatures up to 22C in the south.

The mercury will then start to rise next week, reaching a peak of 27C or 28C on Thursday in the south east, highs that have not been seen in the UK since June, Met Office Tom Morgan forecaster added.

Deckchairs on the sand on the sea front on Bournemouth beach in Dorset (PA)

Where are weather warnings still in place tonight?

A danger to life warning was issued today with Storm Antoni hitting parts of the UK, bringing heavy rain and strong winds.

Falling trees, riptides and inadequate building structures are some of the dangers people were told to look out for on Saturday during the amber wind warning, the Met Office said.

The amber warning, which indicates flying debris is possible and could lead to injuries or danger to life, was in place for southwestern areas of both England and Wales until 7pm.

Meanwhile a yellow warning for "unseasonably windy weather" was in place for southern parts of the UK until 8pm and a yellow rain warning was issued until 4pm on Saturday covering south east Scotland.

Both of those have now been lifted but a yellow thunderstorm warning was issued until 10pm for south east England and East Anglia.

Areas within the yellow thunderstorm warning could see 15 to 25mm of rain in under an hour and 30 to 40mm in two to three hours.

Saturday was also forecast to feel "unseasonably chilly" with some areas not rising above 15C, and highs of 19 or 20C on the south coast.

People battle with the heavy rain and ongoing rail industrial action at Reading Station (Geoffrey Swaine/REX/Shutterstock)

Fallen tree blocks road in Cornwall

A fallen tree on the road to Veryan on the Roseland Peninsula in Cornwall, earlier today after Storm Antoni saw a danger to life warning issued.

A fallen tree on the road to Veryan on the Roseland Peninsula in Cornwall (PA)

Met Office meteorologist explains whether Storm Antoni is a hurricane

The Met Office confirmed earlier that a wind gust of 78mph had been recorded in Berry Head, Devon, today.

According to the Beaufort Wind Scale, winds above 73mph could be classed as a hurricane.

However, meteorologist Greg Dewhurst told the Mirror this is not the full story.

Asked if it would be correct to say the UK had been hit by a hurricane today, he said: "No is the short answer. We measure the Beaufort scale using a 10-minute mean speed. For 'hurricane' winds it has to be a 10-minute mean wind speed of 73mph+ and this was just a single gust at Berry Head.

"Berry Head recorded a mean speed of 44mph this afternoon and as you can see that is classed as a 'gale' on the Beaufort scale."

So there you have it.

Click here to read the full story

A wind gust of 78mph has been recorded in Devon today (Getty Images)

Storm 'very unusual' for this time of year, meteorologist warns

Storm Antoni is "very unusual" to be striking the country at this time of the year.

A year ago, Brits were recovering from record 40C heat, whereas today, some areas won't see temperatures above 15C due to the storm battering the country this weekend.

Combing heavy rain and powerful winds with the storm has seen temperatures remain unseasonably chilly.

One Met Office meterologist said the timing of the storm was a departure from the norm.

The country has squelched through miserable and wet weather this weekend (SWNS)

Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said the storm, which is the first to be named by the Met Office this season, could see winds of up to 70mph on the coast and 60mph inland.

He said: “Storm Antoni is now tracking east into the Irish Sea and will continue to move east across England and Wales.

“With it being the holiday season and it being a Saturday there will be plenty of local events going on, (StormAntoni) wouldn’t necessarily bring the same level of impact if it was in the winter.

“For August this is very unusual. Effectively the trees are in full leaf so are more susceptible to strong winds.

“Building structures, trees and temporary structures such as marquees may not well be too adequate. Beach debris could be thrown from waves onto coastal roads, there’s a risk of dangerous tides, riptides and power cuts.

“Most travel disruption will be from (fallen) trees and branches.”

Storm Antoni to start clearing towards southeast England this evening

The Met Office has said that Storm Antoni will began to clear away slowly this evening, moving gradually to the southeast.

This does mean that that part of England will still see some heavy showers and thunderstorms, but it will mark the last throes of Antoni.

However, winds will remain in place, but the very strongest winds will ease slightly.

#StormAntoni will start to clear away to the southeast this evening

There will still be some heavy showers and thunderstorms in southeast
Remaining windy however strongest winds easing pic.twitter.com/HHvt7TJXrM

— Met Office (@metoffice) August 5, 2023

Tourists brave weather to go punting on river

Tourists braved the wet weather today to go punting on the river Cam in Cambridge.

Photos show rain lashing down, with boat riders huddled under umbrellas and waterproof ponchos.

Tourist’s braved the weather to go punting on the river Cam in Cambridge (SWNS)

Firefighters and council staff drain flood waters in Dublin

Workers from Dublin Fire Brigade and Dublin City Council drain an area in Clontarf, Dublin, that was hit by flooding today.

Workers from Dublin Fire Brigade and Dublin City Council drain an area in Clontarf, Dublin that was hit by flooding (PA)

UK records wind gusts of 78mph - meaning Storm Antoni is now a hurricane

The Met Office has confirmed wind speeds in Berry Head in Devon have reached 78mph today.

The Beaufort Wind Scale considers any winds above 73mph as a hurricane.

(STEVE FINN PHOTOGRAPHY)

Met Office's long-range forecast

The Met Office's long-range forecast predicts the weather in the UK will become more settled by the end of August.

It says for August 20-September 3: "A changeable pattern is most probable through the latter part of August and into early September. This is likely to bring a mixture of some dry, settled weather but also some spells of wetter, more unsettled conditions.

"There is a risk of some heavy rain or thunderstorms at times. Temperatures are expected to be close to average for the time of the year, but some warmer spells are also possible."

The beach in Lyme Regis in Dorset is packed with holidaymakers who are making the most of the cool overcast weather (Graham Hunt/BNPS)

Inside world's most 'unliveable' city with 52C highs as even the streets need air con

While the UK wonders if it'll ever get a dry and sunny day again, other countries are enduring brutal heat.

The scorching Cerberus heatwave baking Europe this summer is nothing compared to temperatures felt in Kuwait - specifically its capital Kuwait City which is all but unliveable.

It regularly sees summer temperatures above 50C. In July 2016, its Mitribah weather station registered 54C, the third highest in the world.

Gauges breached 50C for 19 days in 2021, with the country getting hotter at a faster rate than the global average. Climate scientists are predicting temperatures there will be up 5.5C by the end of the century.

Click here to read the full story

(Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Met Office reveals some of the highest gusts caused by Storm Antoni

The Met Office has listed some of the highest wind gusts caused by Storm Antoni.

Berry Head has seen gales of 78mph.

Here are some of the highest gusts seen today associated with #StormAntoni

Berry Head and Cardinham have both provisionally recorded a new highest wind gust for August. Previous records were 67mph (Berry Head) and 55 mph (Cardinham) pic.twitter.com/RNseLm9qaW

— Met Office (@metoffice) August 5, 2023

Wet weather 'won't be stopping' Brighton Pride parade, say organisers

The weather "won't be stopping us" as Brighton and Hove Pride parade gets under way amid wet and rainy conditions, organisers have said.

Revellers turned out to cheer on the much-celebrated Pride event along the seafront, despite yellow weather warnings from the Met Office.

Saturday's parade was expected to draw 300,000 people to the city's streets, among them community groups, small businesses and NHS services, as they march to the official Pride community fundraiser Fabuloso in the Park at Preston Park.

Brighton Pride's managing director Paul Kemp said: "We've encouraged people to wear ponchos so it might be a little bit Glastonbury.

"That wouldn't stop us from having a great celebration and a great Pride in our city."

He added: "Make sure you wear a poncho and slay that poncho, stay dry, look after your friends, don't over do it, make sure you've got somewhere to stay and look out for people."

The annual celebration is the city's largest single event, expected to boost the economy by more than £20 million over the weekend.

However, Govia Thameslink Railway will not be running any trains between London and Brighton on Saturday, blaming an overtime ban by the drivers' union Aslef.

Mr Kemp said organisers were disappointed a compromise could not be found.

He said: "It will affect turnout absolutely because people will be cut off from the rest of the country.

"I'm sorry for people who booked hotels and paid for accommodation and now can't get in."

However he said it "won't derail us" and "the show goes on".

Jamie Sanders, 36, travelled from Hastings, East Sussex, as one of the organisers for Sainsbury's parade group.

While he was able to book a hotel overnight, out of 100 colleagues expecting to take part in the company's parade, only 60 were able to make it due to the travel disruption.

But he said the "buses were brilliant", picking people up across other locations to help them get there.

This year's event, with the theme Dare To Be Different, marks the 50th anniversary of the first Brighton Pride march, organised by the Sussex Gay Liberation Front in July 1973.

Mr Kemp said: "Those early pioneers 50 years ago who put their head above the parapet in different times, it was a very different environment for LGBT people at that time.

"We're recognising the trailblazers around the city, we have lamp posts around the city of people who have been part of the movement and are current trailblazers. We're celebrating being different."

He said that while Pride is about celebration it is also about protest and in the UK "we're standing by our trans siblings".

He added: "There's a feeling from the LGBT community we're being slightly politicised for political reasons, when people really should be focused on the real issues like the environment, cost of living, the things that really affect lives."

Attendees at Brighton Pride parade today (Getty Images)

Shift in jet stream could see warmer weather by end of next week

After a month of largely unsettled weather for the UK, there are some tentative signs of a change, albeit perhaps only briefly, in the dominant weather pattern for the UK later next week.

Met Office meteorologist Steve Willington explained: “For the latter half of next week, there are some signals of a shift in the jet stream which may allow for high pressure to build in for southern areas of the UK, increasing the likelihood of some drier weather for a time.

"However, at this range, the details are quite uncertain and there’s still a chance of some rain for areas further north. As always, details will become clearer with a shorter lead time.”

People on the beach in Margate, Kent, last month (PA)

Is Storm Antoni actually the first named storm of the year?

Storm Antoni is the first storm named by the Met Office in this storm naming season, though the names Otto in February and Noa in April were adopted by the Met Office earlier this year as they were named by international partners and impacted the UK.

Tourists with umbrellas and ponchos brave the rain on The Royal Mile, Edinburgh (Katielee Arrowsmith SWNS)

RAC estimates about 4m cars will be on the roads this weekend

The RAC estimates that about four million cars will be using the roads for leisure journeys across the whole weekend.

The RAC's Rod Dennis warned: "We expect Saturday to be the worst day on the roads of the summer so far, especially for anyone in the south-west of England - and that's a lot of people as our research shows it's the most popular part of the country for leisure trips by car this year.

"Conditions will be atrocious with a wholly unpleasant mix of very strong winds and locally intense rainfall. The best advice is to slow down significantly to stay safe and avoid exposed moorland and coastal routes until the storm passes.

"Drivers towing caravans and trailers need to be particularly careful in these conditions and those with boxes and bikes on the roof should double-check they're secured properly.

"Drivers should also watch out for fallen trees and be prepared for the disruption they cause."

A car splashes through a large puddle in central London (Zuma Press/PA Images)

'For August this is very unusual' admits Met Office forecaster

Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said the storm, which is the first to be named by the Met Office this season, could see winds of up to 70mph on the coast and 60mph inland.

He said: "Storm Antoni is now tracking east into the Irish Sea and will continue to move east across England and Wales.

"With it being the holiday season and it being a Saturday there will be plenty of local events going on, (Storm Antoni) wouldn't necessarily bring the same level of impact if it was in the winter.

"For August this is very unusual.

"Effectively the trees are in full leaf so are more susceptible to strong winds.

"Building structures, trees and temporary structures such as marquees may not well be too adequate.

"Beach debris could be thrown from waves onto coastal roads, there's a risk of dangerous tides, riptides and power cuts.

"Most travel disruption will be from (fallen) trees and branches."

People shelter with umbrellas on Wimbledon Common (Amer Ghazzal/REX/Shutterstock)

Where are people being evacuated from their homes?

A number of people have been evacuated from their homes in North Yorkshire due to flooding after heavy rain.

Cleveland Police said residents in Loftus and Carlin How were evacuated and the fire service and local authority are supporting those affected.

A spokesperson for the force said: "Cleveland Police are asking people in those areas not to take any risks, such as driving to the home of relatives, or making unnecessary journeys."

And eight people were evacuated from their homes in Clontarf, Dublin, due to flooding, Dublin Fire Brigade said.

Flooding in North Yorkshire (North Yorkshire Weather Updates WS)

Met Office graphic shows rain movement across UK on 'very wet Saturday'

The Met Office has tweeted a graphic showing the rain movement today across the UK.

#StormAntoni is making for a very wet Saturday across the UK

Rain started in Northern Ireland last night and has spread eastwards throughout today pic.twitter.com/0N5NFpZCPI

— Met Office (@metoffice) August 5, 2023

When will it stop raining and when will the winds ease?

Some parts of southern England may see brighter weather late this afternoon, forecasters reckon.

Ian Simpson, forecaster with Netweather, wrote on the website's blog: "Storm Antoni will continue to push eastwards across England during the rest of today, bringing further persistent rain, which will stick around in northern England, north Wales, the Midlands and south-east Scotland throughout the day, though the rain will tend to become less persistent and heavy in the west of these regions during the afternoon and evening.

"Some brighter weather with showers will spread eastwards through southern England, potentially setting off some heavy and thundery showers in central southern England, south-east England and into East Anglia, especially the south of East Anglia."

Most of the country is experiencing unpleasant weather with grey skies today (North Yorkshire Weather Updates WS)

Festival-goers at Brighton Pride dazzle despite the rain

Guest at Brighton Pride have spoken of their excitement - and it hasn't been ruined by the rain or train strikes.

Ali and Jo Hood-Green made the seven-hour drive down from Bolton, Greater Manchester on Friday to make it for the festivities, saying: "It was worth it".

Meanwhile, Connor Charles and Alex Fire drove down from London and stayed overnight, which was no different from how Connor usually travels down to the Pride event each year.

The 30-year-old added: "It's good, the weather it hasn't been as bad as what the forecast said. It's been showering."

Streets are packed with revellers in the seaside resort (Getty Images)

Leo Gonzales and his friends drove down from the capital this morning in what he described as a "quite smooth" journey.

The NHS nurse said despite getting "drenched" everybody is having fun as he returned for the third time to Brighton and Hove Pride.

The 54-year-old man added: "It's because of the fun...the beautiful faces of different people.

"It's so friendly, like a family, the community is very engaging and inclusive."

Other events cancelled due to Storm Antoni

Dorset Jazz Festival Stompin' has been postponed due to the fearsome storm - as have other events.

The opening day of the Great Dorset Chili Festival is cancelled, and The Chale Show in the Isle of Wight didn't go ahead either. It will run tomorrow though.

The area of low pressure is slowly working its way eastwards.

Despite the heavy rain, tourists flocked to Cambridge to see the sights today (SWNS)

Storm Antoni's downpours don't dampen spirits at Brighton Pride

Photographs show Brighton Pride in full swing today - the first of its two days - despite the heavy downpours along the Sussex coast.

Brighton Pride's managing director Paul Kemp said: "We've encouraged people to wear ponchos so it might be a little bit Glastonbury.

"That wouldn't stop us from having a great celebration and a great Pride in our city."

People attend the Brighton Pride festival despite the rain (PA)

Weather postpones FA Cup Qualifying game as English Football League season returns

Storm Antoni has already caused the postponement of an FA Cup Qualifying game - and threatens dozens more.

Guisborough Town v Newton Aycliffe is off after the pitch in Teesside was waterlogged. It is one of scores of FA Cup Qualifying matches, largely held at non-league grounds across the country today - typically more vulnerable to being waterlogged than pitches at professional clubs.

Games across Sky Bet Championship, League One and League Two - returening for its first weekend after pre-season - are unaffected as it stands.

Three people rescued from the sea in north Wales

Three people were rescued after being swept out to sea in north Wales - just hours before the gusts officially became a named storm.

One of these was taken to hospital after a lifeboat was launched and an air ambulance was called in Gwynedd, northwest Wales.

Weather had become windy and unsettled in Wales yesterday as the low pressure moved towards the UK.