Headlines: 'Flying Scotsman trips cancelled' and 'amber heat alert'
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A car park at the rear of the Broadwalk Shopping Centre in Knowle, Bristol, will never reopen because of structural concerns.A Conservative councillor has won a seat on Burnham and Highbridge Town Council, beating the Reform candidate by 14 votes at a by-election held on Thursday.The ongoing heatwave and an amber heat health alert are being widely discussed, as temperatures are expected to reach 32C (89F) in parts of the country.
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An investigation is under way after a sinkhole appeared on Whitehouse Road in Swindon.West Somerset Railway has cancelled all services, including trips on The Flying Scotsman, due to operational issues.A teacher is taking on a 10-hour cycle challenge to raise money for a girl in his tutor group who has been diagnosed with cancer for a second time.Chippenham Museum is celebrating 25 years of its Millennium Wall, which was created by almost 4,000 children from schools in the area.Nailsworth Donkey Sanctuary is closing to protect the animals from the extreme heat expected over the coming days.And Tim is celebrating 50 years working as a qualified veterinary surgeon at Langport and Street Veterinary Centre.
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Daily Mail
39 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Scotland to be battered by hurricane-force summer storm as rail network shuts down ahead of 90mph winds
Scotland is set to be battered by hurricane-force winds today as Storm Floris brings 12 hours of 'unseasonally disruptive' conditions and torrential downpours. Travel chaos, power cuts, mobile outages, and a risk of 'injuries and danger to life' from flying debris and coastal waves are expected as the second named storm of the year makes landfall. Forecasters have upgraded the weather warning for central and northern Scotland to amber as 90mph gusts are predicted to hit coastal and more exposed areas. Rail services on some lines will also end early. Even inland winds are now expected to reach up to 70mph for 'many parts', with the weather alert in place until 10pm. More than two weeks-worth of rain (60mm) is also predicted to fall in some parts, with Scots warned to 'stay inside as much as possible' to avoid 'dangerous' driving conditions. The original yellow warning that was issued on Friday covering the entire country, as well as parts of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, remains in place until midnight (23.59 Monday), when gusts could reach up to 85mph. The Beaufort wind force scale which is used in the UK states that speeds of more than 73mph fall within the hurricane category. Chief Meteorologist Dan Suri said: 'Much of Scotland is likely to see gusts of 50-70mph with more than 80mph on some exposed coasts, hills and bridges.. Western coastal areas will see the highest gusts late morning, with the strongest winds transferring to northeastern Scotland by late afternoon. 'Across the wider Yellow warning area, many inland areas are likely to see gusts of 40-50mph, with 60mph likely at higher elevations and around some exposed coasts.' The Met Office is also expecting 'relatively high accumulations' of rainfall with the Western Isles, Highlands and Grampian areas expected to bear the brunt, where more than an inch [20-30mm] will fall 'quite widely', with more than two inches [40-60cm] likely on higher ground. Holidaymakers have been urged to take extra care while camping, especially along coastal areas, during the 'unseasonally disruptive storm' that has resulted from an 'incredibly strong jetstream' sweeping across the Atlantic. The Met Office said: 'It is advisable to stay inside as much as possible within the amber warning area' as it warned those in affects areas to expect 'injuries and danger to life from large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties'. The forecaster also warned of falling trees, damage to buildings, as well as power cuts, disruption to mobile phone coverage, and bridge and road closures. CalMac ferries has cancelled some of its sailings, while Network Rail confirmed it had stepped up inspections over the weekend and said additional teams will be on standby 'including chainsaw-trained staff ready to respond quickly to any trees or debris blown onto the tracks'. Lines which will close from noon will be Edinburgh to Fife/Perth/Dundee, Perth to Dundee/Aberdeen/Inverness, Dunblane to Perth, Inverness to Aberdeen/Wick/Thurso/Kyle of Lochalsh and the West Highland Line. The railway operator added that speed restrictions may also be introduced to reduce the risk of trains striking obstructions and 'ensure the safety of passengers and staff'. ScotRail said it was working closely with Network Rail but Mark Ilderton, ScotRail Service Delivery Director, said: 'With strong winds and heavy rain expected to impact parts of the country, we're encouraging customers to check their journey before travelling.' Ross Moran, Network Rail Scotland route director, said: 'With the severity of Storm Floris becoming clear, our priority is the safety of our passengers and colleagues. That is why we've taken the decision to close some parts of Scotland's Railway early on Monday as the worst of the conditions hit the country. 'Our engineers will also need to thoroughly inspect the network for any damage before we reopen the lines and restart train services on Tuesday morning. 'Weather specialists, based in our control room, will monitor conditions closely throughout the storm, and our teams on the ground will be ready to deal with any issues caused by the weather as quickly as possible. We appreciate passengers' patience while we get through this unprecedented summer storm.' Scotland's Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: 'This is a slightly unusual situation for August, however the message is the same as winter - plan ahead, check your journey in advance, allow extra time, and don't take any unnecessary risks. 'Officials will be monitoring the situation and are ready to stand up the Multi Agency Response Team, if required.' Floris is the first named storm since Eowyn in January and the sixth since the start of the 2024/25 Storm Naming Season.
BBC News
5 hours ago
- BBC News
Rail passengers told not to travel north of Newcastle on Monday
Rail passengers are being urged not to travel north of Newcastle on Monday as Storm Floris bears down on the amber wind warning issued by the Met Office lasts from 10:00 BST on Monday through to 22:00 for most of Scotland. It warns of danger to life and damage to buildings and trees due to storm conditions is which runs on the East Coast Main Line with stops in Darlington and Durham, said travel disruption was expected, while Avanti West Coast, which runs through Cumbria, has advised people not to travel north of Preston. TransPennine Express has also cancelled Monday services between Carlisle and Glasgow Central and Edinburgh in both directions, as well as services between Newcastle and firm said tickets dated for Monday could be used to travel on Tuesday or a refund could be said tickets dated for Monday would now be valid for between Sunday and West Coast, which stops at Oxenholme, Penrith and Carlisle, said Monday tickets for travel north of Preston would be accepted between Sunday and Floris is the sixth named storm of the 2024-25 season, and the first since is also a yellow warning across northern England, north Wales and Northern Ireland from 06:00 BST on Monday through to midnight. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
5 hours ago
- BBC News
What's the difference between summer and winter storms?
With summer in full swing and lots of fun things happening outdoors – like camping trips, park picnics and beach days – bad weather can sometimes get in the way. This week will see some unseasonal weather, with strong winds and heavy rain as Storm Floris rolls in. A storm like Floris would not be that unusual during the autumn or winter months but could have greater impacts during what actually makes a summer storm different from a winter one? Are August storms in the UK rare? Whether it's a sunny July or chilly December, storms usually start the same way – with something called low pressure. This is a type of weather system that brings clouds, rain, and wind. So storms can happen in any storms in August are not that year, Storm Lilian struck the UK on 23 August, just before the bank holiday weekend, closing stages at the Leeds music festival and cancelling flights at Heathrow Airport. Are summer storms worse? Even though winds are usually stronger in winter, summer storms can sometimes cause more Met Office - who monitor the UK's weather - may decide to issue a weather warning based on the potential impact of a storm rather than the strength of the storm itself. Speaking to Newsround, Ben Rich from BBC Weather explained that "in the summer, when more people are travelling and more events are going on outdoors, that will be taken into account when deciding whether to issue a warning – and whether that warning will be yellow, amber or red. "A storm that would cause only a little disruption in winter could cause much bigger problems in the summer months." Why winds are a bigger problem when trees have leaves Branches are more likely to break off, and trees are more likely to fall down in summer storms than in winter because in summer, trees are full of big, leafy branches. "The leaves on the tree offer more resistance to the wind, and so – a bit like a sail on a boat – the wind will blow against the tree and may cause damage," says Ben from BBC Weather, explaining how a tree will be pushed around more when it's in full leaf. In colder months, trees have fewer leaves, and wind can pass through bare branches more easily. How is Storm Floris different to thunderstorms we see in summer? Thunderstorms and sudden heavy rain are common in air holds more moisture, and as that warm air rises, carrying lots of water vapour with it, it cools down quickly – and that's when all that moisture turns into clouds and rain. If it rises fast enough, it can build big thunderclouds, called cumulonimbus clouds can cause heavy downpours, lightning, thunder, and even hail – sometimes all in a very short amount of Met Office says that this kind of storm is called convective weather, and it happens more often in the summer months because the ground gets hotter. But unlike Storm Floris, thunderstorms are much smaller and tend to happen over much smaller areas and aren't big enough to be named. "While warm weather causes thunderstorms in smaller, localised areas, Storm Floris is a much larger storm," says Ben from BBC Weather. "It is formed by an area of low pressure which is developing over the Atlantic because of a powerful jet stream – the flow of air high in the atmosphere – which is providing the energy for this spell of windy weather. "Some thunder and lightning is possible – but heavy rain and strong winds will be the main impacts."
