Roads flooded and flights cancelled as Storm Ashley hits UK and Ireland
The first named storm of the season could now affect northern areas of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and bring potential travel disruption
Storm Ashley caused travel disruption across the UK and Ireland on Sunday, with dozens of flights cancelled and thousands left without power.
The Met Office issued "danger to life warnings" as the first named storm of the season, Ashley, brought heavy rain and high winds.
The weather forecaster said heavy rain and 80mph winds were predicted in places.
Stormy conditions caused several flights to be cancelled in Dublin and Belfast, and some flights out of Glasgow and Edinburgh were also disrupted.
Road users in Scotland were advised to avoid unnecessary travel where possible, while Sunday’s annual Great South Run in Portsmouth, Hampshire, was cancelled due to the storm.
In the Republic of Ireland, tens of thousands of homes were without power on Sunday.
ESB Networks said 53,000 customers were without power shortly after 5pm, with Mayo, Galway, Sligo, Clare, Cork, Kerry and Dublin being the worst affected counties.
A yellow warning for wind came into place for the entirety of Scotland and Northern Ireland and parts of north-west England and Wales at 3am and runs until midnight on Sunday.
An amber warning for the north-west of Scotland has been issued from 9am until midnight, with the weather service warning “injuries and danger to life is likely from large waves and beach material being thrown on to coastal roads, sea fronts and properties”.
Ferry operator CalMac – which serves the west coast of Scotland – has cancelled the majority of sailings for the day, with the islands of Arran, Bute, Lewis and Harris being cut off as a result of adverse conditions at sea caused by the high winds.
Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud said “very strong, severe gales” on Sunday coincide with high spring tides, which could also result in “very large waves”.
Mr Stroud said strong, gale force winds are due to continue through to Monday morning, meaning “fallen debris and trees” could affect commuters at the start of the week.
On Sunday afternoon, Network Rail Scotland shared a video on X of waves breaching the sea wall near Saltcoats, Ayrshire, affecting the nearby train line and making it “not safe to run trains until conditions improve”.
ScotRail said services will be subject to “precautionary speed restrictions” from 4pm on Sunday until Monday morning for services in the west and north Highlands, Ayrshire and Stranraer. The same restrictions will be introduced between Perth and Inverness from 6pm.
The company warned that services on Monday morning could be affected by trees and debris on the track and asked customers to check their services before travelling.
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Winds are expected to ease on Monday with rain moving into the south east. The north is expected to remain blustery for much of the week.
The Environment Agency’s website listed 41 active flood warnings on Sunday morning, meaning flooding is expected, and 132 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible.
The warnings include multiple areas of the River Severn, the south Cornwall coast and the Wye Estuary.
Natural Resources Wales said there are three flood warnings and 13 flood alerts in place, while 16 flood warnings have been issued by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency along with 17 alerts.
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