Storm Ashley latest: Rail and flight delays continue due to 80mph winds as UK put on high alert for flooding
Met Office weather warning also remains in force on Monday morning after Scotland pummelled with 111mph gusts
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Your support makes all the difference.Storm Ashley has battered parts of the country with hurricane-force winds and torrential rain as more flights and trains are cancelled.
As the storm passed over the Scottish Highlands on Sunday night, average wind speeds hit 85mph with gusts of at least 111mph provisionally recorded at the summit of Cairn Gorm.
Speed restrictions are in place on rail lines across Scotland due to the high winds, while flights continued to be impacted at Aberdeen Airport this morning. At least four have been cancelled, including one bound for London Heathrow Airport.
In England, National Rail said Northern services between Bolton and Blackburn were being blocked by a tree on the line this morning.
The Environment Agency had 45 flood warnings, where flooding is expected, in place across England on Monday, including along the south Cornwall coast and large parts of the River Severn, after the river burst its banks, submerging the town of Worcester, the previous day.
A further 96 places were kept on high alert overnight with possible flooding – while, in Scotland, the Scottish Environment Flood Agency had 47 flood warnings in place, with eight issued by Natural Resources Wales.
Scottish ferries disrupted by Storm Ashley
Ferry passengers in western and northern Scotland are facing a second day of disruption due to the impact of Storm Ashley and issues with the overstretched fleet of ships.
Caledonian MacBrayne has cancelled all ferries between Oban, Barra and South Uist today, as well as from Mallaig to Armadale on the island of Skye.
Between Bute and the mainland, ferries that normally serve Wemyss Bay are being diverted to Gourock instead.
Storm damage at Uig on the isle of Skye means ferries to and from Tarbert on the isle of Harris and Lochmaddy on North Uist may instead divert to Ullapool.
Northlink Ferries connecting Orkney and Shetland with mainland Scotland are being delayed, with the Stromness to Scrabster link operating around five hours behind schedule. The afternoon’s sailing from Lerwick to Kirkwall and Aberdeen has been brought forward by an hour “due to the adverse weather”.
Met Office’s upcoming UK weather forecast
The Met Office said winds will ease slightly as Storm Ashley moves north-east on Monday, with a mix of scattered showers and sunny spells expected in its wake.
More frequent rain may be expected in the south-east.
The weather is likely to turn “unsettled” later in the week, bringing possible heavy rain and strong winds once more.
More than 100 flood alerts remain in place across UK
More than 100 flood warnings remained in place across the UK on Monday after Storm Ashley made its presence felt.
A yellow weather alert for wind, issued by the Met Office, was in place until 9am on Monday morning across the north and east of Scotland and northeast.
The notice warned travellers to brace for potential power cuts and longer journey times.
The first named storm of the season also forced the postponement of several sporting fixtures.
The Environment Agency had 45 flood warnings, where flooding is expected, in place across England, including along the south Cornwall coast and large parts of the River Severn.
A further 96 places were kept on high alert overnight with possible flooding.
In Scotland, the Scottish Environment Flood Agency had 47 flood warnings in place with eight issued by Natural Resources Wales.
Several roads in the north of England, including the A66 between County Durham and the M6 at Cumbria were reopened early Monday morning after being closed due to strong winds
Tens of thousands of homes remained without power on Sunday night after Storm Ashley swept across the island of Ireland.
Dublin and the Irish west coast also experienced significant outages on Sunday night.
The number without power had been 53,000 earlier in the day.
Full report: Tens of thousands remain without power after Storm Ashley hits island of Ireland
Tens of thousands of homes remained without power on Sunday night after Storm Ashley swept across the island of Ireland.
In the Republic of Ireland, ESB Networks said 29,000 customers were without power as of 8.30pm on Sunday. The west coast was worst affected although north Dublin also experienced significant outages.
The number without power had been 53,000 earlier in the day.
In Northern Ireland, NIE Networks said that at 9.45pm fewer than 1,500 customers remained without power, with the majority of those set to be connected later on Sunday night. It said power had already been restored to more than 10,000 customers who lost supply earlier in the day.
Tens of thousands remain without power after Storm Ashley hits island of Ireland
Orange and amber wind warnings that were in place in 11 counties across the island have been lifted.
Scottish islands cut off due to Storm Ashley
Ferry operator CalMac – which serves the west coast of Scotland – cancelled the majority of sailings for the day on Sunday, 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.
Watch: Planes struggle to land at Heathrow as Storm Ashley hits
Scenes likened to ‘power washer’ as torrential rains pummel Ireland
Footage reportedly taken in Belmullet in Ireland’s County Mayo show torrential rain likened to a power washer.
Nearly 50 flood warnings and 10 alerts in place in Scotland
Flooding is expected in 47 locations in Scotland, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency has warned, with a further 10 lesser flood alerts in place in locations where flooding is possible.
Nearly 20 of the flood warnings are in the Western Isles, while eight are in Orkney and 14 are in Dumfries and Galloway, as Storm Ashley continues to bring powerful winds and rain.
Pictured: Flood defences in place along River Severn
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