UK weather Storm Georgina hits Britain with 90mph winds

UK weather Storm Georgina hits Britain with 90mph winds

Storm Georgina has raged across Britain today with gusts of 90mph and two inches of rain, causing the closure of a central London tube station and widespread flooding. 

Part of Charing Cross underground has been shut down by firefighters this afternoon amid concerns for public safety after metal slates on the roof became loose due to the wind. The closure comes just ahead of rush hour when millions of Londoners will start their journey home.

Meanwhile scores of flood alerts have been issued as the country faces a continued onslaught of heavy downpours. The Met Office has also issued a wind warning for Scotland and the Northern Ireland as well as a rain warning for northern England.  

Photographs showed many parts of England including London being hit by heavy rain, while Cambridgeshire and Essex suffered flooding and planes struggled to land in strong crosswinds at Leeds Bradford Airport today. 

It comes after the UK's warmest January day for two years yesterday, which saw Exeter get to 14.6C (58F) – the highest temperature for the month since January 24, 2016 when Achnagart in the Highlands got to 16.5C (62F).

The storm was named by Met Éireann for Ireland as it issued a warning for gusts which reached up to 75mph with widespread rain overnight. Gale-force winds thrashed the Atlantic coasts and temperatures dropped to 4C (40F). 

The Met Office has issued a warning covering most of northern England for up to two inches of rain set to fall between 1am and 11am today, adding that 'flooding of a few homes and businesses is likely'.

The warning follows floods and landslides which hit Devon in heavy rain on Sunday, which fell as snow further north. A separate warning has been issued for 90mph gusts in Scotland up to 5pm today.

The Met Office says gales of 50mph, gusting to 60mph, could also occur across the North of England, and along the south coast through the day. Inland, wind speeds could reach 40mph even in southern England.

Met Office spokesman Nicola Maxey said: 'We are likely to have a low pressure system crossing the north of Scotland which is bringing these strong winds through today.

'With winds of those speeds, there is potential for fallen branches from tress and debris in the road so drivers should be aware and take precautions. The whole country is looking at a blustery day.'

Georgina was announced at 2pm yesterday, warning of high winds between midnight and 5am today. It comes after the Met Office decided not to name a 95mph storm last week that downed trees and damaged buildings.

Forecasters at the time insisted the impact level of the winds was not severe enough to warrant being named as an official winter storm, because it happened at night and therefore had a lower impact on the country.

Heavy rain is also expected from the early hours of today and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has issued flood alerts in areas where thawing snow has already led to problems with lying water. 

Transport Minister Humza Yousaf warned travel could be disrupted. A landslide has been reported on the A76 between Kirkconnel and Kelloholm in Dumfries and Galloway and vehicles are being diverted.

Some Caledonian MacBrayne ferry services have been cancelled due to the weather while Argyll Ferries said that due to high winds, sailings on the Gourock to Dunoon route may be liable to disruption at short notice.

Met Office forecaster Aidan McGivern said: 'It will be increasingly unsettled overnight with bouts of heavy rain and increasingly strong winds pushing in. Once the wettest weather moves in, (the) winds really pick up.

'Blustery showers will push through western Scotland and affect northern Scotland later (with) 60 to 70mph in exposed locations. There will be some sunshine away from the showers but it's going to be a very blustery start.'

Today's wind and rain is set to be followed by cooler conditions tomorrow and Friday, with showers in the West and temperatures of around 10C (50F) in the South East, and 6-7C (43-45F) in the North.

And the chance of widespread overnight frost is expected to return tomorrow night, when temperatures in rural areas could fall to -1C (30F) or -2C (28F) in southern England, and -3C (27F) in the North East.

In Ireland, strong winds are expected today after the country was battered by Storm Georgina last night. Despite the warning ending at 5am, blustery winds and widespread rain will continue across the country today.

Met Éireann forecaster Liz Gavin said: 'Winds will still be strong, south-westerly in direction with temperatures generally 7C-8C (45F-46F). It's a mix of sunny spells and showers overnight with lows of 2C-4C (36F-37F).'

'Thursday will be another showery day. Some showers will be wintry with a mix of hail, with temperatures of around 6C-7C (43F-