Storm Babet: Plane skids off runway at Leeds Bradford Airport amid extreme weather
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A second rare red weather alert for rain and hundreds of flood warnings are in place as Storm Babet continues to batter the country.
The Met Office has warned of “danger to life” from fast flowing water and floods in the worst affected areas, where up to 100mm (4in) could fall in 24 hours.
The red alert, in place until midnight on Saturday has been issued for Scotland’s Grampian and Central, Tayside & Fife regions.
People living in the regions have been told to stay home and avoid travel. Shona Robison, Scotland’s deputy first minister, warned the worst impacts of Storm Babet are “yet to come”.
“Protecting the public is our immediate priority, and we are co-ordinating a national effort to ensure that people are safe,” she said.
Meanwhile, some 339 red flood warnings are in force across England following sustained heavy rain over the past two days.
Earlier, major incidents were declared in parts of the UK after three people were killed as Storm Babet continues to batter the UK with high winds, torrential rain and severe flooding.
Have you been affected by Storm Babet? Email [email protected].
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Three ‘danger to life’ flood warnings issued in Derbyshire
Three “danger to life” flood warnings have been issued in Derbyshire, where an MP says around 400 homes have already been flooded.
The warnings are in place around the River Derwent in Derbyshire, whose water levels have reached record highs.
The alerts are for Derby City Water Treatment Works, Little Chester, Eastgate and Cattle Market, and Racecourse Park at Chaddesden.
Flooding scenes in Derbyshire (Derbyshire Fire &Rescue)
Matt Mathers21 October 2023 13:05
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Rail chaos across northern England
Storm Babet has been causing travel disruption as well as flooding. Simon Calder, The Independent’s travel expert, reports:
LNER, the main train operator on the East Coast main line linking London with Yorkshire, northeast England and Scotland, is urging travellers: “Please do NOT travel today.
“Following extensive disruption on Friday 20 October, crews and trains are displaced across the country and services today are subjec to short-notice cancellation.
“Many rail routes are suspended due to flooding and an extremely limited service is in operation.
“We also expect services to be disrupted throughout Sunday 22 October.
“Your LNER ticket will be valid for travel between Monday 23 October and Friday 27 October.”
Many rail lines in northern England are closed because of flooding, including Harrogate to Leeds, Leeds to Skipton, Sheffield to Lincoln, Doncaster to Leeds and Doncaster to Sheffield and Rotherham.
Between Hexham and Carlisle, a tree is blocking the railway.
LNER train at King’s Cross (Jonathan Brady/PA)
(PA Archive)
Matt Mathers21 October 2023 12:50
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Liverpool and England footballer Trent Alexander-Arnold in minor car crash
England footballer Trent Alexander-Arnold was involved in a minor car crash after a pylon was blown over in strong winds.
The Liverpool defender’s Range Rover collided with a car after the 40-foot pylon fell into a country lane near Knutsford, Cheshire, on Friday morning, The Sun reported.
Cheshire Police said no-one was hurt in the incident; which came as Storm Babet swept across the country – causing widespread flooding and high winds, killing three people.
Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold (PA)
(PA Wire)
Matt Mathers21 October 2023 12:33
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Emergency crews rescue 20 people from care home trapped by floods
Emergency crews have had to rescue 20 people from a care home in Derbyshire as cars were submerged in flood water in the county, Derbyshire Fire and Rescue have said.
More than 100 people had to be rescued in Derbyshire on Friday and the service declared a major incident due to the impact of Storm Babet.
Clive Stanbrook, area manager at Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service, warned flood waters could continue to rise near Derby and across south Derbyshire on Saturday.
Mr Stanbrook told BBC Breakfast: “We rescued over 100 people yesterday. For example, just on one road in Chesterfield in the north of the county, we rescued 60 people when that (water level) became up to the top of cars and several HGVs were stuck as well.
“There is a village called Duffield in Derbyshire and we rescued 20 people from one care home there.
“Also there were 18 houses that were evacuated in a village called Ironville, again in the north of the county.”
Matt Mathers21 October 2023 12:15
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Recap: What is fuelling Storm Babet?
Experts say Babet is an “extraordinary” storm which has been fuelled by several factors, including the impact of a typhoon on jet stream and rising temperatures.
“Storm Babet is an extraordinary piece of weather caused by the interaction of a number of linked conditions across the world,” Dr Hannah Cloke, professor of hydrology at the University of Reading, said.
“The jet stream, which plays such an important role in the weather in Europe, has been squeezed into a weird position, partly as a result of a powerful typhoon that hit Japan last week.”
Stuti Mishra has more below:
Matt Mathers21 October 2023 11:50
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3 inches of rain falls overnight in Sheffiled
Three inches of rain fell overnight on Friday in Sheffield, the Met Office has said.
Further rain is expected in the area on Saturday as Storm Babet lashed the country with heavy downpours.
Pp to 100mm (4in) could fall in 24 hours in some areas of Scotland, where a rare red weather alert is in place.
Matt Mathers21 October 2023 11:35
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Follow evacation advice, first minister tells Scots
People told to evacuate parts of Scotland due to the flood risk from Storm Babet should comply with the advice, the country’s first minister Humza Yousaf has said.
Residents in parts of Angus and Aberdeenshire have been advised to evacuate after a rare red warning for rain was issued by authorities.
“A Red Weather Warning remains in place for Angus & parts of Aberdeenshire,” Mr Yousaf wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
“Please comply with the advice being given, particularly if you are asked to evacuate, it is for your own safety. We continue to engage with local partners & emergency services to coordinate our response.”
Matt Mathers21 October 2023 11:28
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33,000 were left without power in Scotland
Some 33,000 people were left without power in Scotland overnight during Storm Babet.
As of early this morning, around 1,100 homes remained without electricity, Scottish and Southern Electricity Network said.
“We’re making good progress for our customers in response to this very severe storm,” Andy Smith, the firm’s operation director, said.
“The impacts of high winds and flooding mean it’s a challenge to get to all faults quickly and safely.
“But we have brought in considerable extra operational capacity to respond to issues that today’s weather may bring, including teams from our contractors and network partners.”
Matt Mathers21 October 2023 11:18
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TUI apologises after plane skids off runway
Travel company has apologised after one of its planes skidded off a runway yesterday during the adverse weather conditions.
In an updated statement, the firm also confirmed that no one was injured following the incident at Leeds Bradford Airport.
“We would like to apologise to all those impacted by the ongoing closure of Leeds Bradford Airport following an incident that took place shortly after landing on TOM3551 on Friday 19th October,” it said.
“The safety of our customers and crew is our number one priority and can confirm there were no reported injuries, with all passengers disembarking the aircraft via the steps.”
(Bradford T&A / SWNS)
Matt Mathers21 October 2023 11:15
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400 homes flooded in Derbyshire – local MP
About 400 homes have been flooded in a Derbyshire town, the local MP has said.
Labour’s Toby Perkins said homes and roads in his Chesterfield constituency had been badly hit by heavy rain.
“About 400 houses have been flooded, many of the businesses here have lost all their stock and will be closed,” he told the BBC.
“I’ve just been into Tramway pub which was knee high in water, has no electricity. And so last night we had people at the Queen’s Park Sports Centre who didn’t have anywhere to stay.
“Many of the people who live in this area are private renters, many of them don’t have flood insurance because you can’t get flood insurance if you’re in an area that’s prone to flooding.
“So a lot of the people I was speaking to last night have no idea where they’re going to be living from now.”
Matt Mathers21 October 2023 10:50
https://www.independent.co.uk/weather/babet-storm-uk-scotland-flooding-b2433563.html
