After a week of inclement weather, communities across the British Isles are left reeling from the damage caused by Storm Ciarán. Southern England, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands have been worst-hit by Ciarán, with over 80 flood warnings still in place across the UK. While no UK deaths have been linked to the rain and 100mph (161km/h) gusts – countless homes and businesses around the country were damaged. With some residents even believing they have been hit by tornadoes.
The storm caused significant travel disruption with some train lines completely grinding to a halt, leading many train companies to ask commuters to work from home ahead of the disruptions. South Western Railway was among the rail providers impacted and has stated that services across the entire network may be cancelled, delayed or revised – with disruptions expected until the end of Thursday. There was also significant disruption at airports, with all flights from Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney cancelled on Thursday.
Further afield, over 1.2 million people were reported to be without electricity in France after the storm, and in Spain, the country also suffered from severe weather. More than 200 flood alerts when the flooding is forecasted, alongside the 86 flood warnings where flooding is expected in England, have been issued. Currently there are no severe flood warnings – the highest category – in place.
Experts believe that the world’s temperature will keep rising unless governments worldwide make steep cuts to emissions. While many factors contribute to extreme weather, experts say a warming atmosphere increases the chance of intense rainfall and storms. However, it takes some time for scientists to calculate how much impact climate change has had on specific weather conditions – if any
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