logo
Live updates - Storm Floris 'stay away' warnings and travel alerts issued

Live updates - Storm Floris 'stay away' warnings and travel alerts issued

Storm Floris has arrived in North Wales with winds expected to gust up to 55mph. Directly in the firing line is western Scotland, where gusts of more than 100mph could be seen.
As expected, the Met Office has upgraded Scotland's wind warning to 'amber' status with Storm Floris expected to be accompanied by heavy rain at first. Further south, a yellow wind alert now covers an 18-hour period (6am-midnight) having been revised down from 24 hours.
In North Wales, today's unseasonably strong winds (Monday, August 4) are not forecast to reach the intensity of winter storms. But with trees in full leaf, and campsites full of summer visitors, Floris has the potential to cause damage.
Natural Resources Wales is warning people to check before visiting its sites in case they have been closed. Motorists are being warned to watch out for fallen debris, while unexpected gusts may destabilise vehicles on exposed routes.
This is a breaking news story. We will bring you all the latest as we get it via the live blog below.
Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you. If you have some information you can contact us by following our Twitter feed @northwaleslive - the official North Wales Live account - real news in real time.
Or like facebook.com/northwaleslive/ - your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day from the North Wales Live. Don't forget you can also keep up to date with the latest via the free North Wales Live app. Download it for Apple devices here and Android devices here.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Lucky escape for driver as tree falls on car on busy Welsh road
Lucky escape for driver as tree falls on car on busy Welsh road

Wales Online

timean hour ago

  • Wales Online

Lucky escape for driver as tree falls on car on busy Welsh road

Lucky escape for driver as tree falls on car on busy Welsh road The A497 was shut in both directions after a tree fell on a car during Storm Floris with drivers asked to avoid the area The A497 near Porthmadog after a tree fell onto the road (Image: Avril Wigley) A major road in Wales was shut down after a tree fell onto a car during Storm Floris. The A497 near Porthmadog, Gwynedd was closed by North Wales Police (NWP) following reports of an accident. ‌ Motorists were advised to steer clear of the Treflys area between Porthmadog and Criccieth on Monday night. The fallen tree blocked the road near the railway bridge close to Wern Manor, a stretch of the route surrounded by woodland. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here . ‌ An image shared online showed vans and cars in close quarters, with drivers out of their vehicles assessing the situation. The NWP Gwynedd South team confirmed that emergency services were on site, but no injuries had been reported. ‌ The incident took place around 5pm, after the worst of Storm Floris had passed. However, the region remained blustery, with gusts of up to 64mph recorded in Aberdaron and Capel Curig earlier in the day, reports North Wales Live. Online, motorists recounted seeing vehicles attempting to reverse away from the obstruction. The road was reopened approximately an hour later. Article continues below A spokesperson for NWP said: "At 5.08pm we received a report a tree had fallen on the A497 in Treflys, Porthmadog, which struck a car. No injuries were reported. The road was cleared by 6.13pm." Neither the Welsh Ambulance Service nor the North Wales Fire and Rescue Service were called to the scene.

BBC's Carol Kirkwood admits she 'occasionally gets it wrong'
BBC's Carol Kirkwood admits she 'occasionally gets it wrong'

Wales Online

timean hour ago

  • Wales Online

BBC's Carol Kirkwood admits she 'occasionally gets it wrong'

BBC's Carol Kirkwood admits she 'occasionally gets it wrong' BBC Breakfast's Carol Kirkwood opened up about the challenges meteorologists face as the broadcaster announced a new partnership with the Met Office to improve weather forecasting services Carol Kirkwood (Image: BBC) BBC Breakfast's cherished weather presenter Carol Kirkwood has openly discussed the challenges faced by meteorologists, coinciding with the announcement of an innovative partnership. ‌ The popular television personality penned a detailed article for the BBC, shedding light on why weather forecasts can sometimes seem off the mark, delving into the intricacies of meteorological science and its progression in the modern digital age. On Wednesday's edition of BBC Breakfast, Carol also spoke about her piece, which followed closely after the BBC revealed its new venture with the Met Office to improve weather forecasting services. ‌ "I have been looking at the changes in the weather throughout my career, how much more accurate it is now. Yet, sometimes, it's still perceived to be wrong. Occasionally it is wrong, but we're much more accurate now than we ever were before," said Carol, who recently shared news of her nuptials while on the morning programme. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here . ‌ She added: "And, of course, with the new partnership with the Met Office, that means we're going to have expertise of two large organisations," reports the Mirror. Jon Kay, co-presenter on BBC Breakfast, then pointed out that despite technological advancements and the influx of new data, the public might "expect" weather predictions to be "perfect" all the time, a standard that remains unattainable. "That's right, because meteorology isn't an exact science anyway. We have such access to weather apps, data online, television and radio, sometimes they differ," Carol responded. ‌ She encouraged viewers to read her detailed BBC article, where she delves into the hurdles of providing accurate weather forecasts, as reported by the Express. Carol discussed the heightened expectations meteorologists face in an age where information is constantly at our fingertips, saying that expectations have "risen in our world of round-the-clock access to information". She explained the challenge of simplifying complex meteorological data for the public: "Another part of the challenge is how that wealth of information is boiled down and communicated," she wrote. ‌ "Meteorology produces an overwhelming amount of data; it's difficult to condense it into a snappy, TV or digital app-friendly prediction." Carol acknowledged that despite technical accuracy, there can still be confusion among the audience: "It means that even when we are technically correct, some viewers might still end up confused." In her piece, Carol also highlighted the intricate nature of predicting the weather: "But the answer also lies in the tricky nature of meteorology. It's a delicate science, and any tiny inaccuracy in the data can skew things - or knock it out of shape." Article continues below The BBC has recently revealed its return to working with the Met Office following an eight-year break, departing from MeteoGroup, which has provided the corporation's weather forecasts since 2018. This renewed alliance aims to harness the combined expertise of both organisations to "turn science into stories", according to BBC director-general Tim Davie.

SSEN urges customers to claim compensation for Storm Floris outages
SSEN urges customers to claim compensation for Storm Floris outages

The Herald Scotland

time2 hours ago

  • The Herald Scotland

SSEN urges customers to claim compensation for Storm Floris outages

While more than 98 per cent of all those who lost supply due to the storm have now been reconnected, hundreds of engineers remain out on the network as of Wednesday evening. Most of those affected are in parts of the Highlands, including communities in the Great Glen, Sheildaig, Conon Falls, Conon Bridge, Tain and Evanton. As parts of the country which were less-severely affected have been reconnected, further resources have been diverted to the Highlands. SSEN's aim is to repair the last-remaining outages in Aberdeenshire by the end of this evening. Specialist overhead lines teams from SSEN's central southern England network area have travelled to Scotland to reinforce restoration work in the north of the country. # The storm caused widespread disruption to power networks (Image: Stuart Hatch/SSEN) Helicopters and drones have also been used for a second day to inspect the network from above, meaning the extent of damage can be established more quickly, and repairs planned accordingly. Tree-cutting teams have cleared debris hindering access to faults, thus allowing repairs to progress. Meanwhile, SSEN's Welfare Team has organised the provision of hot meals in affected communities, either by hiring in hot food vans, or by working in partnership with local cafes and restaurants. Storm Floris has been confirmed as a Category 2 Severe Weather Event, which means customers without power for more than 48 hours continuously, will receive a Guaranteed Standards payment of £85.00 and a subsequent payment of £45.00 for each continuous 6-hour period that they did not have power thereafter. Guaranteed Standards payments are issued automatically, and customers do not need to make a claim or contact us to receive this. SSEN Distribution's Director of Customer Operations for the north of Scotland, Andy Smith, said: 'Our absolute focus this evening remains the same as when this storm first hit – to restore those customers who lost power, as safely and as quickly as we can. 'Thanks to a huge, combined team effort, great progress has been made over the past 24 hours, with several thousand more customers being reconnected. This work goes on, and while it does, our operation to keep our customers, supported and informed continues too. 'I'd also like to thank people and businesses in the Inverness area for their generous response to our appeal for available accommodation for our engineering teams.' Engineers have been deployed to remote locations (Image: SSEN) Justice Secretary Angela Constance has thanked responders for their efforts to support communities affected by Storm Floris. Ms Constance said: 'I want to thank everyone in the public, private and third sector for the role they played in responding to Storm Floris. It was a significant and unseasonal storm with the worst affected areas covering a wide geographical spread. 'Engineers have worked tirelessly over the past two days to return power to the remaining affected properties as soon as possible.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store