One man has died after tree fell on his car as Storm Bert battered the UK with heavy rain, strong winds and snow, causing widespread disruption.
Winds of up to 70mph battered the country and severe downpours caused flooding, with UK power chiefs warning the worst of the weather is still yet to come.
On Saturday morning, a man in his 60s died after a tree fell on a car on the A34 highway in southern England. Hampshire Police said officers were called just before 8am to the southbound carriageway between Kings Worthy and Winnall and found the driver of a black Mercedes E350 dead at the scene.
Tens of thousands of homes have been without power, with 4,000 homes affected in the Midlands, south-west England and South Wales and 27,000 customers affected in the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire.
Ross Easton, of Energy Networks Association (ENA), which represents the UK’s power network operators, said on Saturday morning: “There are a few localised weather-related power cuts in parts of Britain this morning. However, for most parts of the country the severe weather hasn’t yet had a significant impact. Forecasters are describing this as a ‘multi-hazard event’ with the worst of the weather yet to arrive.”
Met Office Chief Meteorologist Jason Kelly warned the storm was expected to bring snow, rain and wind to Britain for most of the weekend.
The forecaster has issued yellow weather warnings in many parts of the country, while more than 100 flood alerts are in place across the UK.
Homeowners in Wales faced flooding, with five adults and five children having to be rescued from a house in Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog, near Llangollen, following a landslide.
The strongest gust so far during the storm was 82mph recorded in Capel Curig, north Wales, while the National Highways website showed the Severn Bridge, which connects Wales to England, was shut due to intense winds.
In the north of England, snow covered roads and stranded cars in parts on Saturday, with flights briefly disrupted at the airport in Newcastle after it was blanketed in white.
Meanwhile, a Championship football match between Blackburn Rovers and Portsmouth in Lancashire had to be postponed due to torrential rain.
In Scotland, ScotRail said some train services were suspended due to the weather, while one of Scotland’s biggest bus firms, Lothian Buses, was forced to pause its services due to the impact of the storm.
The heavy rain led to flooding in parts of the west coast of Ireland, making some roads impassable. The Irish Meteorological Service placed a “status red” rain warning – its highest level – for the counties of Cork and Galway from Friday night. Floodwater could be seen rising towards the top of parked cars in the Donegal town of Killybegs.
Power company ESB Networks, which provides energy for the whole of the island, said high winds had led to power outages affecting 60,000 homes, farms and businesses overnight, mostly in the west and northwest – with thousands still left without electricity on Saturday evening.
The Environment Agency (EA) has issued more than a dozen red warnings meaning flooding is expected in the north west of England, including for the M61 between Manchester and Preston.
The Met Office forecasts heavy rain developing overnight and into Sunday for south-west and southern England, stretching from Oxford to Truro.
The yellow warning is in place from 6am on Saturday until 11.45pm on Sunday and up to 70mm of rain could fall during this time.
There is a chance that some places over Dartmoor could see 100-150mm of rainfall, the national weather service said.
Strong winds are set to cause “dangerous coastal conditions”, the Met Office said, and a yellow wind warning is in place until 9pm on Sunday for southern England and parts of Wales.
