Power cuts, cancelled flights: Storm Darragh causes major damage in the UK

Sylvie Claire / December 13, 2024

Storm Darragh is causing severe disruption to transport on Saturday, with many trains and flights cancelled, as well as power cuts for tens of thousands of homes across the UK. A man died on Saturday morning in north-west England, after a tree fell on his van.

The red alert for high winds, which is rarely used by the UK's Met Office weather agency, was in force between 01:00 and 11:00. It concerned south-west England and part of Wales.

Darragh, however, continues to bring heavy rain and wind to the UK. England and Wales will remain under yellow alert until 6pm on Sunday, according to the Met Office. This is the country's fourth storm of the season.

Around three million people received an alert on their phone on Friday evening, urging them to stay indoors. Gusts reached 150 km/h in North Wales, said the Met Office.

At 09:00, power was cut to 86,000 homes in England, Scotland and Wales, according to the Energy Networks Association. A further 45,000 homes were without power in Northern Ireland, reported the Belfast Telegraph.

Train operator National Rail has warned of disruption across England, Scotland and Wales until Sunday. Christmas celebrations and sporting competitions have been postponed. British Airways has cancelled several flights to and from Heathrow.

Planes had to land in Dublin, instead of their intended final destination. In Ireland, Darragh caused power cuts for 400,000 homes, according to RTE news.

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Power cuts, cancelled flights: Storm Darragh causes major damage in the UK

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