Storm Arwen: Three dead, 100mph gales, floods, snow and thousands without power

27 November 2021, 07:25 | Updated: 27 November 2021, 14:01

• Man dies in Man dies in Northern Ireland after being hit by falling tree
• Another man died after a tree fell on him in Ambleside
• Wind speeds hit 100mph in parts of the country
• Thousands of homes without power
• Amber and Yellow weather warnings for wind still in place Ireland after being hit by falling tree Wind speeds hit 100mph in parts of the country Thousands of homes without power Amber and Yellow weather warnings for wind still in place

Three people have died and tens of thousands of homes have been left without power as the UK feels the full force of Storm Arwen.

The Met Office says 'damaging' gusts of almost 100 miles per hour were recorded overnight.

In Northern Ireland, dad-of-four and headmaster Francis Lagan died after his car was struck by a falling tree on Dublin Road in Antrim on Friday. Tributes are being paid to him today.

St Peter & St Paul's PS Foreglen posted on Twitter: "We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Francis Lagan Principal.

"Sincere condolences to his family, friends, colleagues and whole school community at this difficult time. Francis was a true friend. May Francis rest in peace."

Another man died after a tree fell on him in Ambleside, Cumbria Police said.

A 35-year-old driver was also killed when a tree fell on his car on the B977 in Aberdeenshire around 5.45pm yesterday.

Roads have been closed by fallen debris in the worst hit parts, and LNER train services north of Newcastle also ground to a halt yesterday due to the conditions.

Read more: Man dies after tree falls on car as Storm Arwen brings snow and high winds to UK

Storm Arwen arrives to batter UK with high winds

The red warning for wind has now expired, but most of the UK's still covered by alerts for wind, snow and ice.

People are being advised to only travel if absolutely necessary, and the Met Office described gusts overnight as "damaging" and having affected "a wide swathe of the United Kingdom".

In Northern Ireland, a man was killed when his car was struck by a falling tree in County Antrim on Friday.

Wind speeds reached 87mph in Orlock Head, County Down.

Inverbervie on the north-east coast of Scotland saw gusts of 78mph, while Aberporth in Wales saw speeds of 77mph.

Roads were closed by fallen debris in the worst-hit parts of Scotland, while LNER train services north of Newcastle were also ground to a halt, with high winds, heavy rain and snowfall arriving from Friday afternoon.

The Met Office warned the north-east of England, north-west of England, Yorkshire, the West Midlands and the East Midlands will experience cold weather until Monday.

Amber weather warnings remain in place until around 9am on Saturday for the north-east coasts of England and Scotland, and the south-west coasts of England and Wales, while the yellow warning covers most of the UK until 6pm.

Friday night's rugby union Premiership game between Newcastle Falcons and Worcester Warriors was postponed until Saturday evening due to safety concerns.

And in North Wales, ITV was forced to pre-record Friday night's live episode of I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here! amid concerns, including that poor weather would interfere with the broadcast around Gwrych Castle.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service said it had been dealing with a "large" number of incidents late on Friday "caused by the current weather conditions including many fallen trees and roofs being blown off structures".

Meanwhile ScotRail services were disrupted between Edinburgh and Glasgow Queen Street, Dunblane and Stirling after a barn was blown onto the line close to Polmont, near Falkirk.

The Met Office described the conditions as "horrendous" and people also reported power cuts.

Northern Powergrid said severe gales had caused power cuts for more than 55,000 customers, mainly in the Northumberland, County Durham and Tyne and Wear areas.

Footage showed howling winds whipping up the North Sea in Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, and snowfall elsewhere, including in Redcar, Yorkshire, and Whitley Bay, Northumberland.

North West Motorway Police said around 120 lorries were "stuck in the snow" on the M62 at junctions 21 and 22 and urged motorists to avoid the area.

Tweeting pictures of the motorway blanketed in white, they said snow ploughs had been deployed.

A Met Office statement said: "People should stay away from the coast as waves and debris are a danger to life."