Strong winds and heavy rain from Storm Henk have caused significant travel disruption across the UK. Flood warnings were issued in many parts of the country, and there were reports of power outages, travel disruption, and flooding. A flood alert was announced for Billing Aquadrome, a Northamptonshire leisure park, which warned of a danger to life due to fast-flowing water levels from the River Nene. Local media reported that hundreds of residents were told to evacuate the area. A similar warning was also issued for the River Ritec in Tenby, with residents of the nearby Kiln Park caravan site informed that their access to vehicles might be limited.
There were several train cancellations in Kent and Sussex, causing more disruption to rail services affected by flooding and power failures on Tuesday. Southern, Gatwick Express, Great Northern, and Thameslink were among the worst affected, with the disruption expected to last until 10:00 GMT. Many routes are predicted to face some disruption after the storm in South West England, South Wales, North West, and East Anglia.
Storm Henk also downed trees and caused significant damage across the region, with treacherous conditions present in many areas due to the high winds. In Orpington, a woman was injured after being struck by a falling tree, though no reports suggested that her injuries were life-threatening. Energy Networks Association revealed that at least 38,000 homes were without power as of 19:00 GMT on Tuesday, owing to the damage caused by the storm.
This is the eighth named storm to cause widespread damage in the UK over the past three months, and such unpleasant weather can be expected to continue for some time. The impact of climate change on the frequency of such storms remains unclear, although it is known that higher sea surface temperatures provide more energy to drive storms, and as a result, these sorts of occurrences are expected to become more frequent and intense. The world has now warmed by around 1.1C since the industrial age began, and if emissions are not significantly reduced, temperatures are likely to continue to rise, leading to further extreme weather events
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