Storm Bert wreaks havoc across UK and Ireland – DW – 11/23/2024

Ireland and Britain were battered by winter storm Bert on Saturday, which brought strong winds, heavy rain, snow and ice that UK forecasters called a “multi-hazard” event.

The severe weather closed roads, airports, ferry and train routes on both sides of the Irish Sea.

What’s the latest on Storm Bert?

One person died near Winchester, in southern England, after a tree fell onto a car on a major highway, police said.

A second death from a traffic accident in West Yorkshire, in northern England, was also being investigated by police to see if it was linked to the storm. According to reports, the road was not icy at the time of the incident.

Five adults and five children were rescued from a house after a landslide in north Wales, Sky News reported.

Ireland’s meteorological service placed a “status red” rain warning — its highest level — for the populous counties of Cork and Galway overnight.

The heavy rain led to flooding in parts of the west coast of Ireland, making some roads impassable. In the County Donegal town of Killybegs, floodwater was seen rising to the top of parked cars.

Across Ireland, Storm Bert left at least 60,000 properties without power overnight. By Saturday evening, that number had fallen to 11,000. In Britain, nearly 27,000 homes across northern England had their electricity cut.

Meanwhile, in France, tens of thousands remained without power after Storm Caetano on Thursday. 

Several hundred passengers were stranded on two trains in western France on Saturday that were halted for up to 9 hours by power cuts.

Snow disrupts road and rail travel

The heaviest snow hit Scotland and parts of northern and central England, with dozens of flood alerts in place, and several roads closed. 

The National Highways agency warned of “blizzard conditions” affecting Yorkshire and northeast England.

In its latest snow and ice warning, the UK Met Office said there was a “good chance some rural communities could be cut off.”

The Queensferry Crossing, a bridge over the Forth of Firth, near Edinburgh, was closed due to falling ice on the carriageway.

Flights were disrupted at Newcastle Airport due to heavy snow, with some flights diverted to Belfast and Edinburgh.

The main operator of rail services between England and Scotland said it cancelled numerous trains and advised rail users not to attempt to travel beyond Preston, a city north of Manchester.

Another rail operator, serving western England and Wales, asked passengers to only travel west of Basingstoke, about 90 minutes by train from London, if their journeys were essential.

Some train services in Scotland were also canceled, including the Inverness-Elgin and Aberdeen-Inverurie routes  , which are popular with tourists in Scotland.

In Yorkshire, the main highways crossing the Peak District national park were closed due to snow, along with a highway from the industrial northeast city of Middlesborough to the Lake District.

Further south, ferry operator DFDS cancelled services due to strong winds in the English Channel, with sailings from Newhaven and Dover in southern England to Dieppe and Calais in France severely affected.

mm/lo (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)