Hurricane Gonzalo: Disruption as remnants of storm hits UK
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20/10/2014
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BBC (UK)
Rain and high winds are causing travel disruption, as the remnants of Hurricane Gonzalo reaches the UK. Gusts of up to 70mph have been recorded in north Wales, and a Met Office wind warning is in place for much of the UK.
Heathrow said about 10% of Tuesday's flights would be cancelled. Some ferry services are not operating, and there are speed restrictions on some roads. Forecasters said gales would move east across the UK, with heavy rain in some areas and snow on some Scottish hills.
BBC Weather's Carol Kirkwood said the wind could be strong enough to do "slight structural damage" to properties, as well as uprooting small trees and causing branches to fall. She said the strongest winds on Tuesday morning would be in western Scotland, the north and east of Northern Ireland, north-west England and north Wales. The Met Office said the gales would "coincide with the morning rush hour in places". Forecasters warn that fallen leaves could impede drainage, increasing the risk of surface water on roads and causing difficult driving conditions.
Heathrow said flights with the 20 biggest carriers would be affected, and British Airways (BA) said it had cancelled flights ahead of the expected severe weather. A BA spokesman said: "The forecast of poor weather has meant that, along with other airlines at Heathrow, we have made some proactive flight cancellations to give customers as much time as possible to be rebooked onto alternative flights."
In other developments:
Two lorries have overturned on major routes in Cambridgeshire
Skye Bridge and the Forth Road Bridge have been closed to high-sided vehicles
Several roads are blocked in Wales, where there are speed restrictions on parts of the M4 and several bridges
Roads around Yorkshire's tallest building are set to close from 09:45 for safety reasons