[BITList] Fwd: Severe weather alert as Britain battered by 70mph winds

[John Feltham]

I wonder how many were queuing outside Australia House?


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Severe weather alert as Britain battered by 70mph winds, snow in the North and up to 3 inches of rain across the South

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 1:33 AM on 9th November 2010


Snow falls in north midlands towards Scotland. Highlands badly affected
Up to three inches of rain expected in the South East tonight
Four flood warnings, 37 flood watches in place across UK
Motorists rescued by police as six cars are trapped in snow in Cumbria 
Britain was placed on flood alert last night after torrential rain and high winds battered the country.

Following a day of snowfall, gales and downpours that brought disruption to the roads, the Environment Agency issued flood warnings across the Midlands, the North East and Wales.

With thunderstorms and flash floods forecast for last night, a weather warning was also issued for the South East.


Bit chilly: Storms batter the coast at Brighton as 21-year-old Sebastian Riet, from Atlanta, Georgia takes in the view in some Union Jack underpants



Icy blasts: A walker wraps up warm as he braves the snow near Glenshee, Scotland today


Gale-force winds and snow disrupted road, train and ferry services - but the worst of the wintry blast is yet to come.

Snow fell across high ground from the north Midlands towards Scotland, with the Highlands particularly affected.

Elsewhere, winds of up to 70mph and torrential downpours were in force.

Meteorologists said it was unlikely that any region would escape the gloom, with parts of Wales and Scotland expected to bear the brunt of the bad weather, before it spreads east throughout the day.

And the longer term forecast fails to lift the dark skies, with storms expected towards the end of the week as well.

In the South East, heavy and thundery downpours are expected overnight.

These have 'the potential to produce accumulations of over 70 mm (2.75ins) locally by Tuesday morning', the Met Office said. 


Drifts: A motorist drives steadily along the A93 near Glenshee in the Highlands, where some roads were closed



White out: Snake Pass in Derbyshire also experienced a couple of inches of snow today

Warnings of gale force winds and heavy rain were also given in Wales, along with heavy rain and heavy snow in parts of the north west of England.


A severe warning of heavy rain was also issued in south west England.

Rachel Vince, Meteogroup weather forecaster, said: 'There is a deep low moving in from the north west bringing very strong and gusty winds across the whole of the UK.'

The windy weather will be accompanied by heavy rain that will spread eastwards throughout the day.

'It is going to be a pretty horrible day,' Miss Vince added.


High seas: Waves batter Whitley Bay in North Tyneside today


Blowy: Strong winds and rain were also felt in the capital today

The A93 Glenshee to Braemar road in the Grampian area of Scotland was closed due to drifting snow and high winds while motorists on the M74 near Beattock were advised to drive with caution due to snow in the area.

In Cumbria, six vehicles became stuck after five inches of snow forced a road to shut.

The Kirkstone Pass, the Lake District's highest road, was closed between 8am and 1pm while council gritters and the police helped to free the trapped vehicles.

The road is now open but motorists are advised to stay away.

PC Paul Burke from Ambleside Police said: 'It is the first snow of the winter, and it shows that winter has arrived.'



Gloomy: A commuter walks under dark clouds in central London today


Lucky escape: Strong winds in Pembrokeshire brought down a tree overnight. The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning, with gales of up to 70mph expected today



Downpours: A commuter makes her way through Parliament Square in London today, left, and right, St Paul's Cathedral is shrouded in early-morning mist

At CairnGorm Mountain ski resort, near Aviemore, Scotland, snow was falling heavily in the car park at 2,000ft but staff have not been able to assess the situation at the top of the slopes because of high winds.

Colin Matthew, operations manager at the resort, said: 'We'll need to wait till the weather subsides and the winds drop so we can get up and really see.

'It's starting to lie at low level but not enough to ski at the moment.

'We started skiing at the end of November last year, so we hope it's the start of a good year.'

MeteoGroup forecaster Billy Payne said: 'There has been some hill snow today, mostly in the Highlands and the Pennines.

'It has been a few centimetres over high ground.'


Snow journey: A train battles through the weather in Dalwhinnie in the Highlands of Scotland today



Blown away: Commuters near the Houses of Parliament, London, struggle with their umbrellas today


Wintry: A walker braves the elements in Weardale in the north Pennines today

Britain was also hit by strong winds, with gusts of 65mph at Berry Head in Devon and 60mph in Dundrennan, Dumfries and Galloway.

Some minor roads were closed for a time in Dumfries and Galloway due to fallen trees while some Caledonian MacBrayne ferry services on the west coast were disrupted due to adverse weather.

After a brief respite in the middle of the week, storms and heavier winds are due to return around Thursday with the threat of thunder and lightning in western Scotland.

It comes after the country enjoyed one of the mildest November weeks on record. Wednesday was the warmest November night for five years, said the Met Office.


3 day forecast

Byron Chalcraft, forecaster at the Met Office, said: 'This, I'm afraid, is a sign of things to come. It's going to be thoroughly miserable.

'For quite a while now we are going to get these very unsettled conditions.

'It looks as though the next couple of weeks will be characterised by this weather, if not longer.

'At the moment we have quite a deep area of low pressure and that's going to be moving south eastwards ending up over the English Channel.

'We're going to get strong to gale force winds and some heavy rain revolving around this system.

'The whole band is continuing to move slowly eastwards in the south but will come to a grinding halt across central England.

'The Midlands will probably get rain all day long today and face gusty winds.

'The temperature will also be quite low - probably only getting as high as 6C.'

Overnight temperatures could drop to -2C in places, say forecasters.

'We're going to get strong to gale force winds and some heavy rain revolving around this system.

'The whole band is continuing to move slowly eastwards in the south but will come to a grinding halt across central England.

'The Midlands will probably get rain all day long today and face gusty winds.

'The temperature will also be quite low - probably only getting as high as 6C.'

Overnight temperatures could drop to -2C in places, say forecasters.

The bad weather will continue into Tuesday, with thundery rain, pausing momentarily for a little respite on Wednesday, before resuming once again on Thursday.



By Friday, the strong winds and rain will have returned.

A dip in temperature, combined with the wind speed, means it could get as cold as 0C in some places.

Forecasters also warned that up to 35mm of rain could fall across the north west and in Cumbria with snow at high level.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1327482/Severe-weather-alert-UK-faces-snow-flooding-70mph-winds.html

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