Three million people told to stay home by emergency mobile phone alert
The Cabinet Office issued an emergency alert at 6.45pm on Friday to 3 million people in areas covered by the Met Office’s rare red warning for wind in parts of Wales and south-west England.
The emergency alert system sent a message to every compatible mobile phone in the affected areas, containing information about the red warning and guidance on how to stay safe into Saturday.
This included a line that said: “Strong winds can cause flying debris, falling trees and large waves around coastal areas, all of which can present a danger to life. Stay indoors if you can. It is not safe to drive in these conditions.”
The emergency alert text sent by the government for Storm Darragh
It was the largest use of the emergency alert system outside a test scenario – the last test being in April 2023.
It is understood residents in Devon, Bath and North East Somerset, the city of Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Somerset, Isle of Anglesey, Gwynedd, Conwy, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Bridgend, Vale of Glamorgan, Cardiff, Monmouthshire and Newport received the alert.
Mobile phones made a loud siren-like sound even if they were set on silent. The sound and vibration lasted for about 10 seconds.
The warning, which has led to the cancellation of events including Christmas attractions, is in place from 3am to 11am on Saturday.
The Met Office has warned of “damaging winds” with gusts of 90mph (145km/h) possible over the coasts and hills of West and South Wales. Forecasters say the strongest winds will begin to ease from late morning.
Key events
86,000 homes in England, Scotland and Wales without power
The Energy Networks Association said 86,000 homes in England, Scotland and Wales are without power.
A spokesperson said about 385,000 customers have been reconnected overnight, with more than 1,000 engineers ready to be deployed.
Here are some of the latest Storm Darragh pictures coming in via the newswires:
A broken rail at Aintree racecourse in Liverpool as Saturday afternoon’s meeting at Aintree is abandoned due to Storm Darragh. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PAA fallen tree on Queen’s Drive in Liverpool on Saturday. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PAGoodison Park, Liverpool, pictured on Saturday. The Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool has been postponed due to Storm Darragh. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA
National Grid has said more than 55,000 customers have no power supply across the south-west of England, south Wales and the West Midlands due to Storm Darragh. It said the majority of these were in south Wales.
About 376,000 customers have had their power restored by its teams since the start of the storm, reports the PA news agency.
Temporary air traffic restrictions in place at Heathrow and Gatwick
Air traffic control provider Nats has said temporary air traffic restrictions are in place at Heathrow and Gatwick airports due to Storm Darragh.
According to the PA news agency, a spokesperson said:
Due to Storm Darragh today temporary air traffic restrictions are in place. Restrictions of this sort are only ever applied to maintain safety.
We are monitoring closely and our Met Office expert embedded within our operation is ensuring we have the latest available information.
Our teams are working closely with airports and airlines to minimise disruption.
Passengers should check the status of their flight with their airline.”
A Heathrow airport spokesperson also said passengers should check with their airlines due to possible disruption.
Tom Morgan of the Met Office said that as of 7am, Storm Darragh was at its peak, but higher wind speed totals are “possible” later in the morning.
The centre of the storm, meaning winds are calmer, was across north-east England, he added.
Everton v Liverpool derby match postponed
The Premier League match between Everton and Liverpool has been postponed due to adverse weather conditions.
The Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool at Goodison Park was due to kick off at 12.30pm.
The Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool at Goodison Park, scheduled for today, has been postponed. Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters
The business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, has been speaking to Sky News about Storm Darragh. Reynolds described the storm as a “challenging situation”.
According to the PA news agency, Reynolds said:
About three million homes will have had the emergency alert system to their mobile phone. I would just encourage anyone who has had that to follow the advice.”
National Grid is responding to the 20,000 homes without power, Reynolds said, adding staff “will be on standby for any further challenges throughout the rest of the day”.
He said:
Where you can, stay inside, don’t put yourself at risk, and just follow the advice at all times.”
National Highways advised the QEII Bridge at Dartford Crossing in England’s south east had also been closed due to strong winds.
In the West Midlands, the A5 was closed between the B5070 at Gledrid and A483 at Halton due to strong winds.
Wind gusts of 92mph recorded overnight in north Wales
The Met Office confirmed to the PA news agency wind gusts of up to 92mph had been recorded overnight in Capel Curig in north Wales and Aberdaron on the Llŷn peninsula.
Gusts of between 72-78mph were recorded along the coasts of Wales and Northern Ireland.
National Rail is warning people hoping to travel by train this weekend that Storm Darragh may disrupt services throughout Saturday and Sunday.
You can see a full list of affected services on their website.
Red weather warnings explained
As we’ve been reporting, the Met Office has issued a red weather warning for Storm Darragh. But what does that actually mean?
What is a weather warning?
A weather warning is issued by the Met Office through the National Severe Weather Warning Service. The aim is to keep people safe by warning what severe weather is in store and what the impacts may be.
The warnings are given a colour – yellow, amber or red – depending on the combination of the impact the weather may have and the likelihood of those impacts occurring. Warnings can be provided up to a week ahead for severe weather including rain, thunderstorms, wind, snow and ice.
What does a red warning mean?
Red is the most serious weather warning the Met Office can issue. It means dangerous weather is expected and people are urged to take action to keep themselves and others safe. Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said red warnings are given based on “the impact, not the severity” of the weather.
How rare are red warnings?
Red warnings are issued “relatively infrequently”, according to the Met Office. The last red warning in the UK was issued in January for winds in north-east Scotland. Gusts of up to 99mph from Storm Isha killed two people and left tens of thousands of homes without power. Since the Met Office began issuing red warnings in 2011, there have been 20, with typically one or two a year.
In 2022, the UK had three red weather warnings, with the first ever alert for extreme heat in July 2022.
