Met Office says Storm Owyn 'probably strongest' to hit UK in 10 years

Mallory Moench & Christy Cooney

BBC News

getty images

Parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland suffered widespread property damage.

The Met Office said Storm Owyn was “probably the strongest storm” to hit the UK in at least a decade.

At the height of the storm, nearly a million properties were without power across the British Isles, and many road and rail links were blocked. A 20-year-old man died when a tree fell on his car in Ireland as winds reached a record 114mph.

Parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland suffered widespread property damage, with Network Rail Scotland recording almost 400 incidents of damage.

While the worst of the storm is behind us, strong winds are expected to continue into next week.

family handouts

Kacper Dudek died when a tree fell on his car.

Several yellow weather warnings for wind and rain remain in place for Sunday, although Amber and Red warnings were issued by the Met Office ahead of Owyn's arrival. A full and up-to-date list can be found here.

Parts of England and Wales could receive up to 80 mm (3.15 in) of rainfall over the weekend.

Met Office Prevestars described Owyn as “quite exceptional” for some parts of England in his 20s and 30s.

The man who died on Friday was named Kacper Dudek. He was killed in County Donegal, which experienced the worst of the gusts. Irish police are investigating.

BBC Weather's Helen Willetts said Owyn had moved into the North Sea by Saturday morning. But he said severe weather was still possible in many areas.

“The early hours saw wind gusts up to 80mph on Fair Isle in Scotland, but winds are expected to gradually ease in the coming days,” she said.

She added that heavy showers, snow and howling winds will move into Northern Ireland on Saturday afternoon, then into western England and Wales later.

Entertainment is also expected to develop along the coast and up the hills.

The BBC's Helen Willetts has the forecast after Storm Owyn brought record winds.

'Devastating' electrical damage

Tens of thousands of properties remained unused in Northern Ireland and Scotland on Saturday, with electricity operators warning it could take days to restore electricity to everyone.

Derek Hynes, managing director of Northern Ireland Electricity, told the BBC the storm had caused “devastating levels of damage” to the electricity network.

“We’ve never seen anything like it,” he said.

According to Northern Ireland's infrastructure department, there were more than 1,800 trees, limbs, limbs and other debris blocking roads.

Paul Morrow, group commander of the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, told BBC Breakfast what his crew witnessed was “something we've never seen before”.

Northern Ireland's education minister, Paul Gibbon, said 100 schools had reported “significant damage to some of their buildings” and some may not open on Monday.

Meanwhile, Police Scotland said it had responded to almost 1,900 weather-related incidents across the country.

Celtic's Scottish Premiership match against Dundee on Saturday was postponed due to damage to the team's stadium in Glasgow.

A government spokesman said on Saturday. A government spokesman said on Saturday. A government spokesman said on Saturday.

They added that engineers had been sent to Scotland and Northern Ireland to help with recovery efforts.

In Ireland, 625,000 properties were without power as of Friday evening, with damage to power infrastructure described as “unprecedented, extensive and widespread”.

Water supplies were disrupted at several locations due to loss of power to treatment plants and pumping stations, Irish Water said.

WATCH: Storm Owyn brings wild weather to UK and Ireland

ongoing travel disruption

Scotrail said work was continuing to repair the network after reports of “extensive damage”. Network Rail Scotland reported around 400 incidents on its tracks, including downed trees and damaged overhead lines.

The main east coast line between Edinburgh and Newcastle was due to reopen on Saturday, but Spokesperson Scott Courtail said the majority of the route remained closed while inspections and repairs continued.

National Rail said wind and rain would affect some services in northern England and Scotland.

Flights have resumed after cancellations and delays, but the airport warned Friday's disruption would impact future services.

Delays are being reported at London Heathrow, Edinburgh and Newcastle airports.

Edinburgh Airport will operate under “challenging conditions” on Saturday, while Glasgow and Belfast International said passengers should continue to check the latest travel information with their airline before travelling.

Calmac, the main operator of ferries on the west coast of Scotland, said the majority of ferry crossings on the Irish Sea appeared to be operating normally but were still experiencing some disruption.

Reuters

Big waves crash against the rocks along the Welsh coast

'Like an earthquake'

Louise McKillion, from Castlewellan in Northern Ireland, was forced to seek shelter in a youth hostel with her family after their home lost power.

She was told it could take up to 10 days to be restored.

“No one can shower, no one can get a hot meal,” McKillion told the BBC.

“You don’t realize the impact it’s having until you actually put it in.”

Mark Jones, who lives in Coldingham in the Scottish Borders, said Owyn described his area as being like an “earthquake”.

On Friday morning, he saw a corrugated carport lifted from the ground and tumbled into the Woodland area.

“I wasn’t seriously alarmed because there was about 30 feet between me and the carport.

“I just think the word 'storm' is too gentle for what we've witnessed here. Only a hurricane can do that.”

Liam Downs, an electrician from Cardross, north of the Clyde Firth, said he was driving along the coast removing trees from the road.

While checking on a customer, he saw “about 10 trees” belonging to a 10-minute space.

“As we were driving along the coast early, the waves were coming onto the road, and my van literally went up the curb in the right lane,” he said.

Additional reporting by George Wright, Lauren Turner and Kathryn Armstrong

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos