Storm Ingrid is sweeping across the UK, bringing 60mph winds and heavy rain to multiple regions. The Met Office has issued three separate yellow weather warnings for southwest England, Northern Ireland, and eastern Scotland, with torrential downpours expected to move north over the next 24 hours.
Ingrid made landfall in the southwest on Friday night, causing toppled trees and flooding in Devon, Cornwall, and Somerset. Travel chaos is expected to continue in these areas until approximately 10pm on Saturday. In Devon, Network Rail issued a rare 'black alert', forcing the closure of the railway line between Exeter St David's and Newton Abbot until at least 2pm. Waves of up to 12ft are expected to crash over the sea wall at Dawlish.
In Scotland, a warning remains in place until 9am on Sunday, while a separate warning covers all of Northern Ireland. Overnight, roughly 2,000 households in Devon and Cornwall lost power, and further power cuts are anticipated. The storm has also brought heavy rain, with up to 50mm possible in some areas—equivalent to the average monthly total for January in southern England.
Met Office Chief Forecaster Andy Page said: 'Unsettled weather continues for many across the UK with persistent and heavy rain in parts of Scotland with snow over higher ground, and strong winds and heavy rain in southwestern England and southern Wales. Elsewhere while it’ll be a breezy weekend there will be brighter and drier spells with occasional showers passing through fairly quickly.'
