Storm Ciarán is set to hit England and the Channel Islands, with the Met Office issuing yellow and amber warnings for wind and rain across the country. As winds of up to 80mph could potentially cause damage to buildings and even risks to life, there are 26 flood warnings in place that have upgraded roads closed and have prohibited the stockpiling of goods. The storm has escalated quickly, with less than two weeks passing since Storm Babet wreaked havoc across the UK.
The warnings have been escalated to amber from 06:00 GMT to 20:00 on Thursday on the Essex coast, with the East of England weathering the worst of the storm and bearing yellow warnings for central Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and Buckinghamshire from Wednesday. The Channel Islands are also bracing for the worst, with closed schools and roads plus greater warnings about people working from home to reduce risk to staff during this period. Jersey and Guernsey’s population has also been asked not to stockpile goods as supermarket shelves were stripped bare.
Gusts of 80mph are also anticipated on exposed parts of the south coast of England, with 25mm of rain expected in southern and western areas. The UK has experienced multiple warnings in 2021 with Scotland enduring similar conditions in 2020. In Exmouth a temporary barrier of sand and a fabric membrane are being put in place to reduce the impact of waves from the storm.
Storm Ciarán will arrive following localised weather-related incidents last weekend when large waves brought down coastal barriers in North Tyneside, while homes were evacuated along with shops that were damaged when a village in County Durham was deluged by several feet of water. The warning comes after a caravan park in Bognor Regis was submerged and the town’s Tesco supermarket car park was flooded, along with the roof of a house being ripped off in heavy winds that locals described as like a “tornado.
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