Storm barrels across Britain with 80mph winds as experts issue ‘danger to life’ warning

The storm blew eastwards across the country yesterday afternoon, leaving hundreds of homes in Wales without power, and roads and bridges closed due to flooding.

Wind speeds reached 76mph in South Wales, as forecasters said swathes of the country could later be hit by gusts of 80mph. They also warned ‘flying debris’ could cause injury and even death.

Some 5cm of snow fell in the North of England last night. Storm conditions are forecasted to last until 6am this morning, with blizzards possible in the Peak District and 50ft waves along the Cornish coast, the Met Office said.

Freya’s high winds and heavy rains are expected to have moved into the North Sea by this morning, but commuters have been warned to expect widespread road closures and disruption on the railways.

Potential hazards include power cuts, fallen trees and beach material being thrown on to coastal roads.

Wales and south-west England bore the brunt of the storm last night. A five-mile stretch of the A465 in South Wales was closed due to flooding and more than 700 homes were without power around nearby Caerphilly, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Cardiff.

Last week’s record-breaking February heat will seem a distant memory as temperatures plummet to single digits again this week. Freezing conditions are expected in rural northern areas. Sophie Yeomans, of the Met Office, said: ‘The strongest winds will be limited to parts of western England and Wales, but the warning includes parts of the Midlands and eastern areas

‘Widespread disruption’

as well. Overnight there will be heavy rain in northern England and the wind strength will continue to increase.

‘We will see the strongest winds in the Bristol area but they are expected to reach 50mph across the whole country. In coastal areas and on exposed hills the wind could reach 80mph.

‘ We can expect some branches and a few trees being blown down and there is also some potential for power cuts as well.

‘By the morning the worst of the weather will have died down but fallen trees and other hazards mean there could be widespread rushhour disruption. The weather will remain unsettled throughout the week.’

The RAC also warned motorists to take care today due to fallen trees. Storm Freya, the sixth named storm of the 2018/2019 calendar, follows Erik in February and Deirdre in December.

Erik left three dead as it wreaked havoc in large parts of the UK, ripping trees from the ground and causing widespread disruption on roads.

The storm comes days after Britain enjoyed its hottestever winter day, with temperatures in Kew Gardens, south-west London, reaching a record 21.2C (70.1F) on Tuesday.

Last week wildfires reportedly broke out in East Sussex, Saddleworth Moor in Greater Manchester, and North Wales.