Storm Barra: floods, ice, wind and rain forecast across the UK

Met Office issues dozens of flood warnings for Britain on Wednesday

Waves crash over Newhaven Lighthouse as Storm Barra passes through southern England. AFP

A man clears snow away in Leadhills, South Lanarkshire, as Storm Barra hits the UK and Ireland with disruptive winds, heavy rain and snow. PA

A woman makes her way along the seafront in Southsea. PA

A fallen tree blocks the A702 road near Coulter in South Lanarkshire. PA

A man takes photographs as waves hit the cliffs in Newhaven. Reuters

Sand bags are placed outside a property in Langstone, Hampshire. PA

Waves hit the harbour wall in Newhaven. Reuters

Snowfall in South Lanarkshire. PA

Vehicles make their way along a snowy M74 between Abiington and Beattock Summit in Abington, Scotland. Getty Images

Waves crash against the seafront in Southsea. PA

Storm Barra is expected to bring ice, wind and rain, which could cause flooding for parts of the UK on Wednesday.

Dozens of flood warnings have been issued across the UK, just as communities in the North-East and Scotland begin to recover from the catastrophic effects of Storm Arwen.

Thousands of homes lost power for up to 10 days after 161kph winds and lashing rain at the end of November.

Northern Powergrid has not confirmed whether all homes were connected by Tuesday night as promised.

Storm Barra moved in from the west on Tuesday, and a yellow weather warning for wind is in place from midnight until 6pm on Wednesday for the west coast of Wales and south-west England.

Aberdaron in Gwynedd, Wales, which is covered by the warning, was battered by gales of 140kph on Tuesday, while Orlock Head in County Down, Northern Ireland, had 122kph gusts.

Met Office forecasters said Storm Barra was not expected to cause as much chaos as Storm Arwen, although it was already responsible for travel delays and school closures in Scotland.

“We are not expecting the impacts of Barra to be as bad as we saw with Arwen," said spokeswoman Nicky Maxey.

“Storm Barra will bring strong winds and heavy rainfall to many parts of the UK today. We may see some snow on the higher ground, too.

“It is unlikely to be as impactful as Storm Arwen last week but there will be blustery conditions so people should still be prepared.”

ScotRail has warned that some Wednesday services will be cancelled due to the storm.

Temperatures will be mild for this time of year on Wednesday, with London predicted to see 7°C, 8°C in Cardiff, 4°C for Edinburgh and 6°C in Belfast.

The Environment Agency has issued 11 flood warnings for England at locations including Hartlepool and Sunderland in the North-East, Bournemouth and Weymouth in the South, and part of the Cumbrian coast.

About 66 flood alerts have also been issued across the country.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued 11 flood alerts and five warnings for areas in the north-east of Scotland and the south-west.

Natural Resources Wales has also issued 12 flood warnings and 11 alerts, mainly covering coastal areas.

On Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said more than 1,000 homes were still without power but that he was assured by Northern Powergrid boss Phil Jones that “affected properties would be reconnected tomorrow at the latest”.

Mr Johnson said “too many people have spent too long without power” and the situation in northern England was not acceptable.

Schools in Dumfries and Galloway were forced to close because of the weather.

Stranraer Academy was shut after the wind caused structural damage to the roof, the council said, and Drummore School closed after trees were blown down.