Storm Jorge news – live: Met Office issues snow and ice weather warnings after wettest February on record
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The Met Office issued weather warnings for snow and ice as the UK emerged from its wettest February on record.
Many places had a chilly start to the day after waking to a touch of frost and ice on Sunday.
A snow warning was scaled back to cover western and higher parts of Scotland until midnight, while new warnings for ice were issued from midnight until 10am on Monday for Scotland, the north of England, the Midlands, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Earlier warnings for 70mph winds initially covered much of the UK but were later stood down.
There were still 79 flood warnings and 166 alerts in place for England on Sunday afternoon, as well as four warnings and nine alerts in Wales, and five warnings and five alerts in Scotland.
Thousands of businesses and homes were flooded in February as three successive storms saw areas deluged by more than a month’s worth of rainfall in just 24 hours.
A UK average of 202.1mm of rain fell last month, surpassing the February 1990 record of 193.4mm.
Good morning and welcome to today's weather live blog.
We'll be keeping you up to date throughout the day with all the latest weather forecasts and warnings.
Weather warnings continue into the new month
As we leave behind the wettest February on record - which saw three successive storms batter the UK - weather warnings continue into the new month, with more rain, snow and 70mph winds forecast.
Many will have woken to a touch of frost and ice this morning, with strong winds, showers and snow forecast across parts of Scotland and northern England.
Wind warnings are in place until 9am across much of England and Wales and until 3pm across Northern Ireland, southern Scotland, and northern England.
A snow warning covering much of Scotland will also last until 12pm on Monday.
The final day of February saw
- gusts of 90mph recorded at the Needles on the Isle of Wight
- lows of -1C at Balmoral in Scotland
- 40mm of rain in Eskdalemuir, Scotland
Wettest February
Last month was the wettest February since records began in 1862.
There was UK average of 202.1mm of rainfall, beating the February 1990 record of 193.4mm.
The full statistics are expected to be released on Monday.
Here's a selection of photos of Storm Jorge wreaking havoc on Saturday:
Clogher Strand, County Kerry, Ireland (Ruth Ui Ogain/Reuters)
East Cowick, Yorkshire (Ian Forsyth/Getty)
Luttrellstown Castle, near Dublin, Ireland (Dublin Fire Brigade)
Eagle Island, Mayo, Ireland (Adrian Weckler/Reuters)
First night of respite for East Yorkshire residents since flooding began
East Cowick, Yorkshire (Ian Forsyth/Getty)
There were no reported evacuations in deluged towns in East Yorkshire for the first night since the flooding started, authorities have said.
East Riding of Yorkshire Council said water levels are generally dropping or remaining stable in Snaith, Gowdall, East Cowick and West Cowick, but are expected to remain high for several days.
Stephen Hunt, head of planning and development at the local authority, said: "Storm Jorge appears to have passed with limited effect and the overall situation has stabilised.
"However, while the water levels are generally dropping they are expected to stay high over the coming days.
"While we are still very much in the response phase, the council has started planning for the recovery operation that will follow but that can only happen when the risk of further flooding subsides."
PA
Water levels rise at Ironbridge
Ironbridge, Shropshire (Matthew Cooper/PA)
Water levels in Ironbridge Gorge on the River Severn are rising again and expected to peak on Monday afternoon.
The Environment Agency said the predicted peak will be between 5.4 and 5.7 metres.
Telford and Wrekin Council said flood defences were "repaired and ready" and that the peak would "hopefully" be "at least a metre lower than last week".
It added that more local businesses were reopening.
PA
Weather warnings scaled back
The Met Office has updated its weather warnings to remove warnings for wind and issue one for ice.
A new warning for ice is now in place from midnight until 10am tomorrow for Scotland, the north of England, the Midlands, Northern Ireland and Wales.
A snow warning has also been reduced to just western and higher parts of Scotland and will now end just before midnight, rather than tomorrow.
Travel disruption after landslip and storm damage on railway lines
National Rail has warned there are long-term disruptions in place because of the recent weather.
Disruption is expected until 12pm between Sheffield and Meadowhall/Worksop after a landslip.
The line between Aberdare and Pontypridd is closed due to storm damage. Buses will be replace trains until Wednesday.
All the latest details can be found here.
Mountain climber missing following avalanche
Andrew Vine (Police Scotland)
Police in Scotland are searching for a mountain climber who went missing after an avalanche in the Highlands.
Andrew Vine, 41, was last seen on the west face of Aonach Mor, in Fort William, at about 1pm on Friday.
A search of the mountain and surrounding area is ongoing involving police, local mountain rescue teams and coastguard.
Mr Vine is described as white, 5ft 11ins tall, medium build with ginger/brown hair and a beard.
He was last seen wearing a red jacket, yellow ‘La Sportiva’ boots, black trousers and carrying a yellow rucksack.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at Fort William immediately by calling 101 quoting incident number 1915 of 28 February 2020.
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