Storm Chandra latest: ‘Danger to life’ flood warning and travel chaos as Met Office issues UK weather alerts – UK Times

A severe flood warning, meaning there could be a danger to life, has been issued for the River otter (Lower) at Ottery St Mary in Devon.

More than 100 flood warnings are in place across England in preparation for Storm Chandra, while another 193 less severe flood alerts have been issued.

These are scattered throughout England and near the Welsh border, with several warnings issued across the south of the country.

National Highways said the A66 is closed between the A67 near Bowes in County Durham and the A685 near Brough in Cumbria because of snow.

Drivers travelling across the Pennines are advised to “plan ahead and consider alternate routes”.

Devon and Cornwall Police said there was “significant surface water and areas of flooding across parts of the force” due to Storm Chandra.

“There is widespread disruption of the roads particularly across Exeter, East and Mid Devon this morning, with many roads becoming impassable,” a police spokesman said.

“Please do not travel in those areas – Exeter, East and Mid Devon – at this time unless you urgently need to.

“We are experiencing an increase in reports of people coming up against flood water.

“Please do not attempt to drive through it. The weather is improving but rivers are still responding to earlier heavy rainfall.”

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There are multiple road closures in south-west England because of flooding.

National Highways said “significant flooding” has closed the A30 in Devon between the B3174/B3180 junctions near Ottery St Mary and the B3184 for Exeter airport.

It said: “Standing water has made the route impassable, and conditions remain hazardous.

“Crews are monitoring water levels and working to restore safe conditions when possible.”

The A303 is closed between the A30 at Upottery in Devon and the A358 at Horton Cross, Somerset.

In Dorset, the A35 is closed in both directions between the A352 Max Gate junction and the B3150 Stinsford roundabout near Dorchester.

Belfast City Airport have been forced to cancel a number of flights due to the adverse weather conditions.

Northern Ireland currently has an amber wind warning in place for Antrim, Down and Londonderry from 05:00 GMT to 21:00.

A picture of their departures and arrivals board shows flight cancellations from London Heathrow, Edinburgh and Manchester.

In a post on X yesterday, the airport warned of possible disruption and advised passengers to check the status of their flight before travelling.

National Rail Enquiries said a number of railway lines are closed because of flooding.

– Between Par and Newquay in Cornwall.

– Between Castle Cary and Taunton in Somerset.

– Between Salisbury in Wiltshire and both Southampton Central and Romsey in Hampshire.

– Between Eastleigh and Fareham in Hampshire.

– Between Exeter St Davids and both Okehampton and Barnstaple in Devon.

Transport for Wales said a tree is blocking the railway at Llanbister Road station near Llangunllo in Powys, meaning there are no services between Swansea and Shrewsbury.

Met Office chief forecaster Paul Gundersen said: “Initially, strong winds will impact the Isles of Scilly, western Cornwall and south-west Wales which are still vulnerable after Storm Goretti, gusts of 70 to 80mph are possible here.

“Heavy rain is an additional hazard as it falls on saturated ground in Dorset and southern parts of Devon, Somerset and Cornwall.

“As Chandra interacts with colder air further north snow becomes a hazard, with 10-20cm of snow possibly accumulating over higher ground in the Pennines, southern Scotland and the Highlands.

“With a complex spell of weather, its important people stay up to date with the forecast and any warnings in your area.”

Several weather warnings were in force on Tuesday, including amber warnings for south-west England and the eastern coast of Northern Ireland for rain and wind respectively.

The Met Office said gusts of 60-70mph will affect eastern Northern Ireland, with possible 75mph gusts in coastal locations, adding that “easterly winds of this strength are unusual and are likely to be impactful”.

An amber warning for wind is in place on the eastern coast of Northern Ireland from 5am to 9pm on Tuesday, with an additional yellow rain and wind warning for the whole of Northern Ireland for all of Tuesday.

Across the south west of England, where Storm Ingrid wreaked havoc and washed away part of a historic pier on the weekend, forecasters expect more downpours.

An amber warning for rain is in place for south Devon, much of Dorset, southern Somerset and south-east Cornwall until 9am on Tuesday, where 30-50mm of rain could fall widely with up to 60-80mm over higher ground of south Dartmoor.

Less severe yellow warnings are in place for a more extensive area of southern England, as well as parts of northern England and Scotland.

A yellow warning for wind covers Cornwall, south-west Wales and parts of northern Devon from 5am to 4pm on Tuesday, with an additional yellow wind warning in force for southwestern Scotland for 5am to midnight on Tuesday.

Yellow warnings for rain and snow have also been issued for the Pennines and south-west Scotland from midnight to 5pm on Tuesday, where 2-5cm of snow could fall widely and as much as 10-20cm could accumulate at higher elevations.

There is a further yellow warning for rain and snow across much of central Scotland from 6am to midnight on Tuesday.

A yellow warning for rain is in place from midnight until midday on Tuesday for much of south-east England, and for south-west England and south and central Wales from 1pm on Monday to 10am on Tuesday.