TORNADOS to blast UK with 80mph gales & floods in worst run of storms EVER

February 21, 2022February 22, 2022 Stan

‘DANGEROUS’ floods have left homes underwater as nearly 500 households in England have been evacuated overnight during Storm Franklin.

A tornado warning with 80mph gales and danger-to-life flood alerts have been issued as the third devastating storm in just five days hits the UK.

Machinery brought in to shore up flood defences in Leeds floated down the River Aire and sunk as a new storm moves inCredit: Ben Lack

Storm Franklin has battered the country todayCredit: PA

The UK has faced its worst-ever run of named storms after Eunice killed four and plunged 1.3m households into darknessCredit: LNP

Now 'danger to life' flood warnings has been issued. The River Severn in Worcester has broken its banks — Now ‘danger to life’ flood warnings has been issued. The River Severn in Worcester has broken its banksCredit: PA

Not everyone is hating the weather - with drivers in north Nottinghamshire heading for Rufford Hill Ford to test their vehicles — Not everyone is hating the weather – with drivers in north Nottinghamshire heading for Rufford Hill Ford to test their vehiclesCredit: F Stop Press

Brits could also see 'a tornado or two', a top forecaster says — Brits could also see ‘a tornado or two’, a top forecaster says

It’s the first time since significant storms were given names back in 2015 that three tempests have happened within days of each other.

Ferocious Storm Eunice killed four and plunged 1.3m homes into darkness on Friday.

Now Franklin, an 800-mile wide squall, will bring “severe and damaging gusts” across Northern Ireland until Monday morning.

An amber warning is in place from midnight Sunday – and intense downpours have already caused dangerous flooding.

There are currently two rare ‘severe’ flood warnings in place near the River Mersey – alongside 315 other flood alerts, as Brits brace for Storm Franklin.

Yorkshire will be one of the worst-hit places – and more than 400 homes have already been evacuated in south Manchester.

The severe rainfall could cause danger to life as the River Mersey swells in Greater Manchester.

And in Northern Ireland, Londonderry and Tyrone will be hit with the worst flooding as the torrent continues.

It comes as:

In Shropshire, the River Severn has been threatening to burst its banks with emergency teams erecting flood barriers along the waterway – while several areas in Wales are expected to flood.

This comes after huge waves were seen crashing onto coastal areas, homes were destroyed by strong winds, and emergency services deployed flood defences along swelling riverbanks on Sunday.

The River Don burst its banks in Doncaster, South Yorks, on Sunday night – and police have warned people to stay away from dangerous “fast flowing” water.

Colossal waves have been captured engulfing Newhaven lighthouse in West Quay, East Sussex, and Porthcawl Lighthouse in Bridgend, Wales.

Katharine Smith, flood duty manager at the Environment Agency, urged people to “stay away from swollen rivers” while teams deploy temporary barriers and pumps on the river.

She said: “We advise people to stay away from swollen rivers and not to drive through flood water as just 30cm of flowing water is enough to move your car.

“Residents close to the River Mersey are being warned to take immediate action and prepare for property flooding.”

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service saving a dog from the floods on SundayCredit: Twitter/@NorthYorksFire

There are currently 317 flood warnings and alerts in place - including two which are deemed 'severe' — There are currently 317 flood warnings and alerts in place – including two which are deemed ‘severe’

The River Ouse in York city centre has burst its banks ahead of Storm FranklinCredit: LNP

Met Office forecaster Marco Petagna shared a warning from the Tornado and Storm Research Organisation on Twitter, telling followers: “Although a very low risk, a tornado or two is possible associated with today’s squally cold front.”

The storm will bring two inches of snow to the north.

The Met Office has issued a slew of weather alerts for today, with millions facing misery from high winds as they travel to work on Monday.

Forecasters say blasts will cause even more power cuts, transport delays and damage.

Experts have issued an amber warning for wind – which could cause a “risk to life” in Northern Ireland until 7am.

While a yellow wind warning covers England, Wales and south-western Scotland from midday until 1pm.

The run of terrible weather began with Storm Dudley on Wednesday.

Meteorologist Becky Mitchell said three named storms in such quick succession is a first since the system was introduced seven years ago.

“It’s the first time we’ve had three named storms within a week, and we started the storm-naming system in 2015,” she said.

“We’ve got a really active jet stream, which is why we’re seeing so many storms track right towards the UK.

“We had Dudley on Wednesday, Eunice on Friday and Franklin today.”

Her colleague Craig Snell told Sun Online conditions will finally ease next week.

“It’ll be blustery as we go through the week, but everything looks a little bit more typical for this time of year,” he said.

“It’ll be windy, but at the moment, there aren’t any warnings past Monday, and we’re certainly not looking at naming more storms in the days to come.

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“After we get rid of Franklin, it’ll still be windy, but hopefully not on the same scale as the past few days.

“It’s certainly been very, very unsettled recently.

“This has been a very notable spread of weather.”

He said the strongest winds will lash the country this morning.

“The most likely place for disruption is Northern Ireland, but there could also be impacts along the Lancashire and Merseyside coast, and maybe up into North Wales,” he said.

“During the small hours, winds could reach 80mph along the north coast of Northern Ireland, while any coastline attached to the Irish Sea could easily see gusts of 60 to 70mph.”

KILLER STORM

Friday saw the worst storm in years with Eunice, which brought down trees, tore roofs from houses and toppled power lines.

The Energy Networks Association said it believes the UK may have experienced a record outage over a 24-hour period during the tempest, with around 1.3million homes affected.

More than 83,000 people around the UK are still without power.

Ross Easton of the organisation said 8,000 engineers are working to reconnect customers in a huge national effort, but many homes will still be in the dark next week.

At the height of the storm, the roof of the O2 Arena in London was damaged – causing rapper Dave’s upcoming concerts to be postponed – and the spire of St Thomas Church in Wells, Somerset, crashed to the ground.

MORE TO COME

The O2 said that it expected the scheduled UB40 gig to go ahead as planned on Friday. The venue will remain closed until then while repairs are carried out.

The Association of British Insurers indicated that the clean-up across the UK could cost more than £300m.

A spokesman said: “No two storms are the same. The last significant storms to hit the UK – Ciara and Dennis – led to insurers paying out over £360m.”

National Rail has warned there is still “major disruption” to train services “across most of Great Britain”.

Tragically, three Brits and an Irishman are known to have been killed on Friday.

However, there was little respite even after winds eased as new alerts came into force for 80mph gales yesterday.

Forecaster Aidan McGivern said: “The winds pick up significantly later in the day on Sunday.

“There’s the risk for northern parts of the country – northern England, Scotland, Northern Ireland – of 50 to 60mph gusts inland and 70 to 80mph around exposed coasts and hills.”