Storm Bert brings 80% of month’s rain in 48 hours as disruption continues

Storm Bert has brought more than 80% of November’s average monthly rainfall in less than 48 hours as it continues to cause disruption around the country.

Strong winds have caused flights to be cancelled and trees have fallen on railway lines meaning lengthy delays.

Gusts of up to 70mph are forecast for Sunday and crosswinds of around 40mph have caused cancellations to some flights from Heathrow Airport on Sunday morning.

At Gatwick Airport and Birmingham Airport there are some minor delays as a result of the adverse weather conditions.

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The Met Office issued a fourth wind warning for the UK on Sunday morning, which covers central and eastern parts of England from 8am until 9pm.

Since the storm began in the early hours of Saturday, 149mm of rain has fallen in Tyn-Y-Waun in Mid Glamorgan, Wales.

On average, the area sees 180mm of rain in the whole of November, Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said.

In England, 135.7mm of rain has been recorded from the beginning of the storm until 11am on Sunday in White Barrow in Devon which is around half of the total rainfall typical in November.

Busy rail routes have also been affected by the blustery weather. Multiple fallen trees have damaged overhead electrical wires on the railway line between Liverpool Street and Stansted Airport, causing major disruption until further notice, Greater Anglia said.

Great Western Railway services between Plymouth and Penzance, Reading and Basingstoke and Exeter and Barnstaple have had lines blocked by fallen trees leading to cancellations and delays.

Southwestern Railway services into London Waterloo have been disrupted by a tree blocking the railway between Fleet and Farnborough in Hampshire.

More than 250 flood alerts are in place for England, Wales and Scotland.

Severe flooding blocked railway lines between Birmingham New Street and Shrewsbury on Sunday morning but all lines have now reopened. Trains on the route could still be disrupted until well into the afternoon, National Rail said.

West Midlands Fire Service said its crews rescued a person trapped in a car stranded in floodwater in Walsall on Sunday morning.

In Wales, homes and cars are underwater as Storm Bert continues to take its destructive toll across the country.

Rising waters have been reported in towns across Wales, including Pontypridd, Ebbw Vale and Aberdare, with landslides in north Wales.

Bridges have been shut and roads are closed due to flooding and strong winds and people have been urged not to walk or drive through floodwater.

The M48 Severn Bridge in Gloucestershire is closed again on Sunday because of strong winds and the A66 in North Yorkshire and Cumbria is closed to high-sided and vulnerable vehicles in both directions between the A1M and M6 because of the gusty weather.

It comes after as much as 79.8mm of rain fell in Capel Curig, north Wales, in 24 hours on Saturday and wind gusts of up to 82mph were recorded in the Welsh village.

The Met Office has warned of very strong winds on Sunday which it says are likely to bring disruption to transport, and dangerous coastal and marine conditions.

Strong coastal gusts are forecast, and the national weather service has warned of a small chance of injuries caused by large waves and beach material being thrown on to seafront and coastal roads.

Around 350,000 homes have lost power so far as gusts tore down power lines, though most have been reconnected.

A spokesperson for the Energy Networks Association said on Sunday: “Electricity network operators have restored power to 325,000 homes so far after Storm Bert damaged power infrastructure yesterday and today. The storm is forecast to move across England throughout today, with weather warnings and flood alerts remaining in force.

“Around 25,000 customers are without power as of 9am and more than 1,500 engineers and field staff have been deployed to fix damage today. Hundreds of additional staff are operating in contact centres and control rooms across the country to support customers.”

Sunday will also be exceptionally mild for November, the Met Office said, with a high of 17.8C recorded in Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, before 10am.

Three men died on the roads during Storm Bert on Saturday.

A man in his 60s died after a tree fell on a car on the A34 near Winchester on Saturday morning, Hampshire Police said.

Officers are investigating whether the incident was linked to the storm.

Two other fatal collisions happened while the storm took hold in England.

West Yorkshire Police said a 34-year-old man died in a single-vehicle collision in Shipley the early hours of Saturday.

It is unclear if the incident was related to Storm Bert but it is understood the road was not affected by ice.

Meanwhile in Northamptonshire, a man in his 40s died in a crash on the A45 near Flore.

Northamptonshire Police said the collision, at around 8.20am on Saturday, involved a silver Toyota Corolla and a dark grey Hyundai i30 Active.

It is not clear whether the incident was linked to the storm.