‘The worst is yet to come’ as Storm Jocelyn sees flights canceled and trains suspended

When Storm Jocelyn hit the UK, flights were canceled and train services suspended; forecasters say the worst weather is still to come.

The Met Office said the severe weather was causing major disruption to travel and the storm was expected to be at its worst in the early hours of Wednesday, with the possibility of extending Met Office warnings into rush hour.

Eight flights were canceled at Dublin Airport and four at Glasgow Airport on Tuesday evening, train services in Scotland were stopped from 19:00 and drivers were warned to postpone journeys.

A search is underway in Porthcawl, south Wales, after reports of a person being at sea just before 6pm on Tuesday.

HM Coastguard said rescue teams from Porthcawl, Port Talbot, Llantwit Major and Llansteffan, as well as an HM Coastguard helicopter from St Athan and the RNLI’s all-weather lifeboats from Mumbles and Barry Dock, were also involved in the search.

The M48 Severn Bridge and A66 in County Durham and Cumbria were closed due to high winds; The Humber Bridge, the A19 Tees Flyover and the Woodhead Pass in Derbyshire and South Yorkshire are closed to high-sided vehicles.

In Scotland, the A76 is closed in both directions between Skelmorlie and Largs due to water breaking over the seawall.

Strongest winds of up to 80 mph are expected between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. Wednesday before the storm eases throughout the day.

Jocelyn arrived shortly after Storm Isha left two people dead and one seriously injured.

Floodwaters are affecting parts of York as thousands of people experience power cuts.

The story continues

The Met Office has issued amber and yellow weather warnings for wind covering much of the UK, as well as yellow warnings for rain covering western and southern Scotland and north-west England.

A yellow warning for ice has also been issued in northern and eastern parts of Scotland.

The forecaster said open areas could experience wind gusts of up to 80 miles per hour, while 40-50 mm of rain could fall in higher elevations.

Meanwhile, winds as high as 76mph were recorded in Aberdaron, Wales, on Tuesday evening, and Honister Pass in Cumbria saw 77mm of rain; This is equivalent to about half of the region’s average rainfall in January.

Met Office chief meteorologist Steve Willington said Storm Jocelyn, named by Met Eireann, could cause more disruption than Storm Isha.

He said: “Although this system is a step down from Storm Isha, we could potentially see further impact from Storm Jocelyn as damage and cleanup efforts are still ongoing.

“Winds are expected to reach 55-65 mph in north-west Scotland, with the potential for gusts to reach 75-80 mph in a few places, particularly over exposed parts of the Western Isles and the coast of north-west Scotland in the early hours of Wednesday morning.”

Further transport disruptions are expected after services largely recovered on Monday.

Martin Thomson, Transport Scotland’s national operations manager for resilience, said: “We can expect to see further delays and cancellations of ferries, flights and rail across the wider network from Tuesday to Wednesday morning.”

Network Rail Scotland route director Liam Sumpter said Storm Isha caused a “massive amount of damage” and crews were working “around the clock” to remove fallen trees and debris and repair damaged infrastructure.

He continued: “While we continue to reopen routes when it is safe to do so, we unfortunately expect further disruption with Storm Jocelyn making landfall in Scotland in the coming days.

“If you are planning to travel by train this week, please check the status of your journey with your train operator.

“We are also urging trackside neighbors to ensure their garden furniture and equipment is secure as in high winds this could hit the railway causing damage and disruption.”

Rail services to and from Scotland are expected to be suspended until at least midday on Wednesday.

Road travel is also expected to be affected by the storm.

RAC spokeswoman Alice Simpson said: “With such heavy rainfall and debris on the roads, driving conditions will be very challenging, particularly in the northern parts of the country where the weather is at its worst.

“Visibility will be severely reduced due to water splashing from trucks and other large vehicles, and the amount of water on the roads will increase stopping distances.

“We urge motorists to consider postponing their journeys in these areas if possible.

“We also recommend drivers avoid parking under or near trees.”

Meanwhile, parts of York were affected by flooding.

The Environment Agency said river and surface water flooding was likely in some areas of northern England on Tuesday, with further river flooding likely into Wednesday.

River flooding is also possible on the upper reaches of the River Severn in Shropshire through Friday.

The number of flood warnings, meaning floods are expected, reached 15 in England and 17 in Scotland.

The Met Office said the highest wind speed recorded during Storm Isha was 99mph at Brizlee Wood in Northumberland, while on Sunday it was 90mph at Capel Curig in Snowdonia.

A 26-year-old man is in a critical condition after his car crashed into a tree on a road in Northumberland on Monday night, police said.

An 84-year-old man died after the car in which he was the front seat passenger crashed into a fallen tree in Grangemouth, Falkirk, Police Scotland said.

A man in his 60s died in a crash involving two minibuses and a fallen tree in Limavady, Co Londonderry, on Sunday night, the Police Service of Northern Ireland said.