Met Office issues fresh weather warning as southern England to be hit by thunderstorm after Storm Debi

14 November 2023, 07:15

By Kieran Kelly

@kellyjourno

The Met Office has issued a fresh yellow thunderstorm warning for the south of England.

The weather warning, which came into effect at 5am this morning, will run until at least midday.

It covers a large part of southern England, including London, Canterbury, Brighton, Exeter, and Plymouth.

"A band of squally, thundery rain is likely to push quickly east across the warning area through Tuesday morning," the Met Office said.

What to expect

According to the Met Office, the following is to be expected under a yellow thunderstorm warning.

• Probably some damage to a few buildings and structures from lightning strikes or strong and gusty winds
• There is a good chance driving conditions will be affected by spray, standing water and/or hail, leading to longer journey times by car and bus
• Delays to train services and journeys by plane are possible
• Some short term loss of power and other services is likely

Read More: Storm Debi sparks travel chaos across UK as 80mph winds force British Airways to cancel 50 flights

Read More: Storm Debi hits the UK: Weather warnings in place with heavy rain and 80mph winds on the way

Storm Debi arrived in the UK and Ireland with 80mph winds on Monday - throwing people into travel chaos as trains were delayed while British Airways cancelled dozens of flights.

BA cancelled some 50 flights from London Heathrow earlier today after winds of up to 77mph battered Northern Ireland, northwest Wales and the north of England.

The airline said it had to make a "small number of cancellations" on Monday.

"We've apologised to our customers for the disruption to their travel plans and our teams are working hard to get them on their way as quickly as possible," a spokesperson added.

The powerful winds brought down trees onto tracks and damaged overhead lines, forcing rail companies to delay and cancel trains.

Network Rail Scotland said speed limits were put in place due to the weather as travel was cancelled on the lines between Dumfries and Sanquhar due to flooding.

A restriction was also in place on the West Highland line between Garelochhead and Crianlarich.

The Met Office issued an amber weather warning in northwest England for Monday amid the chaos of weather - warning that buildings could be damaged and travel disruption likely.

On the island of Ireland, 100,000 homes and businesses were left without electricity following power cuts.A postal worker in County Limerick was also hit by debris amid the weather.

The worker was not badly hurt.