Storm Herminia: Weather warnings issued for strong winds and rain
2025-01-26
Category: news

Yellow warnings for wind and heavy rain have been issued for parts of the UK as a new storm arrives in the wake of Éowyn. The Met Office says Storm Herminia, which first hit parts of Spain and France, brings with it the possibility of injuries and "danger to life". Storm Éowyn left two people dead after hitting the UK earlier this week.While the majority of the weather warnings cover most of England, heavy rain is also forecast for Northern Ireland, Wales and southern Scotland into Monday.High winds from the new storm have brought power cuts to thousands across the south-west of England, where there have also been reports of flooding. 
The strongest of the winds are in southern and western parts of the UK - areas that largely escaped Éowyn. Thousands of properties have been left without power in Devon and Cornwall, and there were reports of flooding and downed trees on several roads across south-west England.Residents have been urged to stay away from the coast due to crashing waves. Dozens of flood warnings and alerts are in place across southern and central England.Flooding has also disrupted some travel routes. Floodwater between Par and Newquay in Cornwall blocked a rail line, which led to the cancellation of trains running between the two stations on Sunday morning but they later resumed.Some flights from Cornwall Airport Newquay and Exeter Airport have been delayed, cancelled or rerouted. 
Gusts are expected to reach 70mph (112km/h) or more around exposed coasts, while areas inland can expect wind gusts of up to 50mph. Berry Head, in Devon, recorded gusts of 83mph on Sunday morning. There is also a chance that a short-lived swathe of even stronger gusts could push northwards across England overnight into Monday. Heavy rain will move in across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and southern Scotland, with 10-20mm (nearly an inch) of rain expected to fall on Sunday.This is expected to continue into Monday, and there will be an increased risk of flooding across southern parts of England, Wales and the Midlands - with the ground already saturated in many areas following Éowyn.A full list of weather warnings can be found here.Storm Herminia was named by the Spanish weather service Agencia Estatal de Meteorología (Aemet) on Friday. Heavy rains and wind battered the north of the country, with gusts exceeding 62mph being recorded.Floodwaters caused by the storm also left cars and buildings submerged in western France.Herminia is not powerful enough over the UK to be named a storm by the Met Office - unlike the far more powerful Éowyn, which left a trail of destruction and disruption after causing several rare red weather warnings. The Met Office said Éowyn was "probably the strongest storm" to hit the UK in at least 10 years.Two people were killed on Friday after trees fell on their cars. A 19-year-old died in East Ayrshire, Scotland, while a 20-year-old man was killed in County Donegal, Ireland.Thousands of properties across the UK were still without power on Sunday after Éowyn caused widespread damage to electricity infrastructure in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland.At the storm's height, nearly a million properties were without power across the British Isles, while many road and railways were blocked.