Storm Jocelyn - live: Thousands remain without power after 97mph winds wreaked havoc across the country
Flights and trains cancelled across country as commuters urged to check their routes before starting journeys
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The UK and Ireland are reeling from the destruction of Storm Jocelyn whose 97mph winds caused major travel chaos and have left thousands without power.
Approximately 12,000 homes and businesses remain without power across the Republic of Ireland following storms Isha and Jocelyn.
Earlier on Wednesday, NIE Networks said power had been restored to more than 52,000 customers since Sunday evening in Northern Ireland.
However, 1,200 remained without power on Wednesday morning.
Rail services to and from Scotland have been suspended until at least noon today, with Network Rail Scotland saying it had dealt with incidents of flooding, fallen trees and a shed roof blowing onto a high wall above a track on Tuesday evening.
Avanti West Coast also told passengers not to travel north of Preston until at least noon on Wednesday.
It comes as the coastguard launched an urgent search on Tuesday evening following reports of a person in the sea in Porthcawl, south Wales.
The alarm was raised just before 6pm but after several hours of searching in the treacherous conditions, the search was suspended in the early hours of Wednesday before it resumed as light returned.
Damage caused by Storm Jocelyn
Watch - How to protect property in stormy condtions?
Top tips to protect property as Storm Isha expected to bring 80mph winds to UK
With a new weather warning for much of the UK, research shows Brits want more help on how to protect their homes. Storm Isha will bring winds of up to 80mph and heavy rain, posing a risk to life and damage to buildings, as part of a wet and windier weekend across the UK. The Met Office has issued amber weather warnings for wind for northern and western England, Wales, Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland from Sunday into Monday. Ahead of Storm Isha, take a look at the top tips to protect your property.
ICYMI - UK braces for second storm in as many days as Jocelyn brings ‘danger to life’ warnings and 80mph winds
The UK is braced for what is set to be even more severe weather as Storm Jocelyn brings “danger to life” warnings and gusts of up to 80mph, becoming the second storm to hit the country within two days.
Britain now faces another battering from wind and rain, with major disruption to transport services expected, as the country is still grappling with the chaos wreaked by Storm Isha, which left four people dead and brought gales close to 100mph.
More than 100 flood warnings and alerts remain in place across the UK, as flooding is still present in parts of York and thousands remain affected by power cuts.
Read the full story here
UK braces for second storm as Jocelyn brings ‘danger to life’ warning and 80mph winds
Country still grappling with chaos wreaked by Storm Isha, which left four people dead
Still a missing person off coast of Porthcawl
RNLI lifeboats from The Mumbles, Barry Dock and Porthcawl were called last night following reports of a person in the water.
A spokesperson for the The Mumbles lifeboat station told the Indpendent the Porthcawl volunteer crew were paged by HM Coastguard just before 6pm to assist in the multi-agency search, following reports of a person in the water off Porthcawl seafront.
Conditions during Storm Jocelyn were beyond the operating limits of the station’s inshore Atlantic 85 lifeboat, so at approximately 6.40pm the all-weather RNLI lifeboat from The Mumbles was called to assist, reveals the volunteer team.
They say the the volunteer crew from launched their lifeboat in challenging conditions, as they made their way towards the search area.
A spokesperson for the RNLI said: “The Mumbles lifeboat carried out some extensive searches in the area where the casualty was reported to have been seen in the water.
“Barry Dock RNLI all-weather lifeboat arrived on scene to join the search in worsening conditions. This made it extremely challenging for the volunteer crews who were out searching until the early hours, returning to station at approximately 2am.
“The search was suspended in the early hours of this morning (Weds 24 January) following an intensive search by RNLI lifeboats, coastguard rescue teams, and the Coastguard helicopter.”
RNLI volunteer crews spent many hours in challenging conditions with support from HM Coastguard helicopter. Coastguard Rescue Teams from Porthcawl, Port Talbot, Llantwit Major and Llansteffan were also involved
What are the main dangers to walkers?
If you live near the coast, or plan on visiting, the RNLI advise the public to stay a safe distance from the water.
According to the charity, around 140 people lose their lives at the UK and Irish coasts each year, and more than half of them never even planned to enter the water.
“During stormy weather, there is a heightened danger of large and powerful waves that can knock you off your feet and drag you out to sea, so stay well back from the water’s edge. It might seem like fun, but playing chicken with waves, especially during bad weather, can be deadly,” said Atkinson.
Is it safe to go for a walk in high winds?
As Storm Jocelyn hits the UK with high winds, the Met Office has said more bad weather is still to come.
“Anything above 40mph is significant,” said Richie Conway, the director at London Adventure Group, who organises hiking events both in the UK and overseas.
“[There will be] flying debris, falling branches or trees, [which makes it] difficult to walk and [find your] balance. Stay off any high grounds as the winds are more compressed higher up.”
Matt Atkinson, HM Coastguard divisional commander for the north of England, said everyone needs to check the forecast and the tide times in their area before they go out in stormy conditions and adhere to the advice given by the Met Office’s weather alerts.
“The first thing to do is consider, ‘Is it safe to go out at all?’ and if there is any doubt, play it safe and stay home.”
“Anything above 40mph is significant,” said Richie Conway, the director at London Adventure Group, who organises hiking events both in the UK and overseas.
“[There will be] flying debris, falling branches or trees, [which makes it] difficult to walk and [find your] balance. Stay off any high grounds as the winds are more compressed higher up.”
Matt Atkinson, HM Coastguard divisional commander for the north of England, said everyone needs to check the forecast and the tide times in their area before they go out in stormy conditions and adhere to the advice given by the Met Office’s weather alerts.
“The first thing to do is consider, ‘Is it safe to go out at all?’ and if there is any doubt, play it safe and stay home.”
Mapped - Flood warnings and alerts
There are 18 flood warnings in place and 85 flood alerts in place across England as large parts of the country are still reeling from the heavy flooding caused by Storm Henk.
Ferry closures
Ferry services were also disrupted with some CalMac services cancelled.
NorthLink Ferries said morning sailings between Stromness in Orkney and Scrabster on the mainland were cancelled.
The 4.45pm sailing from Stromness to Scrabster and the 7pm return sailing remain under review.
Rail lines are beginning to reopen after Storm Jocelyn swept in, bringing travel disruption and leaving thousands without power.
An amber weather warning was in place in parts of Scotland at the height of the storm while a yellow wind warning for much of the northern half of the UK has been extended until 3pm on Wednesday.
ScotRail suspended its services at 7pm on Tuesday and through the Wednesday morning rush hour as the storm battered the country.
Routes began to reopen from around lunchtime following safety checks, though ScotRail warned it will take time for the situation to return to normal.
In a post on X, ScotRail said: “As lines begin to reopen, following major disruption, our Integrated Control team will work to restore the timetable on each route in a controlled manner, to prevent further disruption.
“This is why it can take some time for services to return to normal. Please bear with us.”
Avanti West Coast services have also resumed after the company told passengers not to attempt to travel north of Preston until at least noon on Wednesday
The storm has left thousands of people in Scotland without power.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks Distribution said that as of 11.45am on Wednesday, its teams had successfully restored supplies to nearly 4,500 customers.
A spokesperson said: “We are working hard to reconnect the remaining 2,000 homes as quickly and safely as possible. We expect them to have their supplies restored by the end of today.”
In southern Scotland, SP Energy Networks said its engineers are working to restore power to around 7,000 customers across Dumfries and Galloway following network damage caused by Storm Jocelyn.
A spokesperson said: “This includes damage to a transmission line and we’re working with National Grid ESO to restore supplies as soon as possible.
“Safety remains our number one priority and we are using every available resource to get everyone back on supply at the earliest opportunity.”
Storm Jocelyn, the 10th named storm of the season, hit two days after Storm Isha claimed two lives.
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