Storm Jocelyn blows in fresh disruption across much of the UK

Storm Jocelyn has brought fresh travel disruption to much of the UK, less than two days after Storm Isha left two people dead and thousands without power.

The 10th named storm of the season brought an amber warning for wind to parts of Scotland on Wednesday morning with much of the UK covered by a yellow alert into Wednesday afternoon.

The Met Office said wind gusts reached 97mph in Capel Curig in Snowdonia, 79mph in Aberdaron, Wales, and 77mph at Shap, Cumbria.

A search for a person reported to be in the sea at Porthcawl, south Wales, was suspended early on Wednesday.

HM Coastguard said rescue teams from Porthcawl, Port Talbot, Llantwit Major and Llansteffan, together with an HM Coastguard helicopter from St Athan, were joined in the search by the RNLI’s all-weather lifeboats from Mumbles and Barry Dock after the report just before 6pm on Tuesday.

They said a decision on further action would be made at first light.

Further transport disruption is expected with rail services to and from Scotland suspended until at least noon on Wednesday.

Martin Thomson, national operations manager for resilience at Transport Scotland, said: “Across the wider network, we can expect to see more delays and cancellations with ferries, flights and rail into Wednesday morning.”

Network Rail Scotland said it had dealt with incidents including flooding, fallen trees and a shed roof blowing onto a high wall above a track on Tuesday evening and would be inspecting routes for damage from first light.

A statement said: “It’ll be done in many ways – teams on foot, in road-rail vehicles, freight locos and empty passenger trains. Our helicopter will be out too, as soon as winds ease.”

ScotRail said all lines will be checked before services restart, saying “it will be later on in the day before any trains can run”.

Avanti West Coast told passengers not to attempt to travel north of Preston until at least noon on Wednesday and warned journeys in northwest England may take longer due to speed restrictions.

The Queen Elizabeth II bridge at the Dartford Crossing, M48 Severn Bridge and A66 in County Durham and Cumbria were closed due to high winds with the Humber Bridge, A19 Tees Flyover and the Woodhead Pass in Derbyshire and South Yorkshire closed to high-sided vehicles.

The M1 was also closed in both directions to high-sided vehicles at Junction 34 for Sheffield, according to Traffic England.

In Scotland, the A76 was closed in both directions between Skelmorlie and Largs due to water breaking over the sea wall. The Forth Bridge was open to cars and single decker buses with restrictions on high-sided vehicles on several bridges.

Eight flights were cancelled at Dublin Airport and four at Glasgow Airport on Tuesday evening.

An amber warning for wind, issued by the Met Office, is in place across the north and west of Scotland until 8am on Wednesday with a yellow warning in place until 1pm across Scotland, Northern Ireland, north Wales and northwest England. A further yellow warning runs until 3pm across northeast England, the Midlands and south Wales.

Parts of York have been affected by flooding with river flooding probable in parts of the north of England on Wednesday, the Environment Agency said.

River flooding is also possible along parts of the upper River Severn in Shropshire until Friday.

The number of flood warnings – meaning flooding was expected – had reached 21 in England and 37 in Scotland.

Forecasters expect winds to gradually ease from the south as Storm Jocelyn moves away from the UK on Wednesday, which will be a day of sunny spells and blustery showers, although mainly dry in the south.

Cloud and outbreaks of rain will move north east on Thursday with brighter conditions on Friday and Saturday and frequent showers in the north.

An 84-year-old man died during Storm Isha after the car in which he was a front seat passenger crashed into a fallen tree in Grangemouth, Falkirk, Police Scotland said.

And a man in his 60s was killed in a crash involving two vans and a fallen tree in Limavady, Co Londonderry, on Sunday night, the Police Service of Northern Ireland said.