Storm Austen is causing major travel disruption across the UK, with trains cancelled or delayed and terrible conditions on the roads, as at least 138 schools are either closed for the day or delaying their start time. The Met Office has issued a 'danger to life' warning, with the Environment Agency issuing urgent flood warnings for parts of Dorset and Devon.
Flood warnings and 'danger to life' alert
Two urgent flood warnings are in place along parts of the Dorset Coast and South Devon Coast, meaning flooding is expected. The Environment Agency has advised people in affected areas to "move to higher ground".
A yellow wind warning covering south-west England, the south coast, parts of Wales and Herefordshire came into force at 10pm yesterday and runs until 5pm today. Gusts of 50 to 60mph are likely, with 70mph or more possible in some coastal and exposed areas. The Met Office has warned that flying debris could cause injuries and pose a "danger to life".
Amber warning and severe gusts
Particularly severe weather has hit parts of south-west England, where an amber wind warning covers Cornwall, Devon, the Isles of Scilly and Plymouth until 10am. Winds of 60 to 70mph are expected widely, with gusts of around 80mph possible on exposed headlands. Powerful gusts of 76mph have already been recorded at St Mary's Airport in the Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, the Met Office has said.
Another yellow warning for wind will come into force at 10am and run until 9pm today. It covers a much wider area across England and Wales, including London, the Midlands, the North West and parts of Yorkshire. Gusts of around 45 to 55mph are possible.
School closures and travel disruption
The 138 schools that have confirmed they are shut or opening late are in Cornwall and the Channel Islands. The governments of Jersey and Guernsey have announced that all state schools and colleges will remain closed for the day because of the storm. In Jersey, this includes 24 government-provided primary schools and seven government-provided secondary schools, giving a total of 31, according to the Government of Jersey website. Guernsey is understood to have 20 state schools, including 12 primary schools.
Cornwall Council has announced school and college closures and delayed openings due to the storm, affecting 87 schools. National Rail has warned that Storm Austen will cause "severe disruption" on various routes across England, Scotland and Wales today and this weekend. CrossCountry services in south-west England are disrupted until at least the end of tomorrow, with no CrossCountry services operating between Plymouth and Penzance today. Great Western Railway services in south west England are disrupted today and tomorrow, with speed restrictions imposed on routes in Devon and Cornwall between the start of service and 1pm.
Rescue operation and warnings
The RNLI launched a rescue operation to save a sailor who was struggling in strong winds. The sailor's yacht had run aground on Scarweather Sands and was flooding. UK Power Networks have issued a warning to avoid any overhead power lines and report them, as the storm is likely to cause fallen trees and broken branches.
AccuWeather expert meteorologist Bill Deger warned: "The concern with two powerful windstorms arriving back-to-back is the potential for compounding impacts. Areas hit by damaging winds and heavy rain from Storm Austen will have little time to recover before Storm Boelo arrives." Greenpeace climate campaigner Maja Darlington has called on the Government to act to stop a "doomloop of extreme weather", saying: "The Government must take a stand against this doomloop of extreme weather and corporate impunity."
