Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Weather warning for snow
Man dies on river as Caroline roars on
STORM Caroline claimed its first victim yesterday, when a canoeist died as high winds battered the UK.
The man was with a group of seven on a fast-flowing river when he got trapped under a tree. Rescue services dashed to the scene in Dart Gorge on Dartmoor, Devon, but they could not save him.
Dartmoor National Park ranger Rob Steemson said the river was “roaring” at the time. He added: “With heavy winds, quite a few trees have come down overnight and unfortunately that is what trapped this person.”
The tragedy came after the Met Office warned of 90mph winds and snowfall hit Northern Ireland.
Many areas, including Belfast, have already seen sleet showers develop in snow across the country. Mountaineering Scotland yesterday recorded a gust of 116mph on Cairn Gorm in the eastern Highlands. More than 30 children were rescued from their school bus after it was hit by massive waves on Orkney.
Breakers reaching 33ft formed off the coast of Scotland as Caroline gathered strength in the Atlantic. And huge waves lashed the seafront at Porthcawl, South Wales. The storm caused travel chaos, with trains, flights and ferries cancelled.
A Flybe plane weaved from side to side before it landed safely at Leeds Bradford Airport. More than 4,000 homes were left without power and dozens of schools closed as temperatures plummeted. Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks restored service to more than 3,900 customers, but around 780 still had no power at lunchtime. In Scotland, a 73mph gust was recorded at Stornoway Airport on Lewis with 68mph winds in South Uist, on the Western Isles. Blasts of 69mph were measured at Altnaharra in Sutherland in the Highlands. Scotrail tweeted a photo of a trampoline on the line in Patterton, near Glasgow, which briefly shut services.
At the weekend, large areas of the country are set to be carpeted in snow as temperatures fall to -16C with the wind-chill factor. The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for snow and ice across 14 regions. Forecasters said an Atlantic system will hit cold air, leading to more snow. Up to 5cm could fall across southern areas, with 10-20cm on higher ground and in parts of the Midlands. Temperatures on Sunday may struggle to get above freezing.
The west coast and the North will be the worst hit, with snow showers forecast in Wales, Scotland, North West England and the Pennines, where the deepest falls are expected. Birmingham could see 20 hours of showers today.
A Met Office spokesman said: “The snow showers could lead to snow accumulations which vary markedly across the warning area.”