A new storm named Herminia has hit the UK, bringing with it high winds and power cuts in the southwest of England. The Spanish weather service Agencia Estatal de Meteorología (AEMET) named the storm on Friday. Berry Head in Devon recorded gusts of 83mph. Thousands of power cuts were reported in Devon, leaving more than 4,500 properties without power across Devon and Cornwall. National Grid confirmed 2,968 properties have been hit in Cornwall, and another 1,488 in Devon.
The Met Office has issued multiple yellow weather warnings for wind and heavy rain on Sunday and Monday, saying injuries and “danger to life” were a possibility. The new storm comes just days after Storm Éowyn caused disruption across the British Isles. A 19-year-old man was confirmed to have died when he was hit by a tree whilst driving in East Ayrshire on Friday during Storm Éowyn. A 20-year-old man was also killed in County Donegal in Ireland on Friday.
National Rail said flooding between Par and Newquay has blocked the line and trains running between the two stations have been cancelled. A Ryanair flight was also diverted to London Gatwick. People were advised to stay away from the coast due to crashing waves. Forecasters warned that the storm brings a large risk of disruptive weather, especially across the southern half of the UK.
Heavy rain is expected to move across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and southern Scotland on Sunday. Another band of rain will sweep in across England and Wales overnight into Monday, increasing the risk of flooding as the ground is already saturated. Meanwhile, around 101,000 customers were still without power on Sunday following the devastation caused to the electricity network by Éowyn. A yellow weather warning for wind and snow and ice was also in place across Northern Ireland on Sunday.
At the storm’s height, nearly a million properties were without power across the British Isles while many road and rail links were blocked. Met Office meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey said that “given recent heavy rain, this extra rainfall could lead to some local surface water and river flooding.
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