Storm Darragh pink alert ‘scares the life’ out of Brits as they react to uncommon Government cell phone notification forward of ‘hazard to life’ 90mph winds
The UK government issued an emergency alert to millions of Brits tonight ahead of Storm Darragh bringing winds of up to 90mph – but the loud siren sound left people joking that ‘WW3 had started’.
The Cabinet Office issued an emergency alert at 6.45pm to three million people in areas covered by the Met Office‘s rare red warning for wind in parts of Wales and south-west England.
The Emergency Alert system sent a message to every compatible mobile phone in the impacted areas, containing information about the red warning and guidance on how to stay safe into Saturday.
This included a line that said: ‘Strong winds can cause flying debris, falling trees and large waves around coastal areas, all of which can present a danger to life.
‘Stay indoors if you can. It is not safe to drive in these conditions.’
However, as mobile phone blared out the ‘siren from disaster movies’, even if they are set to silent mode, many Brits feared the worst.
Reacting online, Brits have described their first thoughts – from thinking ‘the nukes were coming’ to simply having the ‘s***’ scared out of them.
The UK government has sent an emergency alert the mobile phones of millions of Britons as Storm Darragh is set to spark flooding and travel chaos this weekend
The Met Office has issued yellow, amber and red warnings across Britain tomorrow
Red is the most serious weather warning the Met Office can issue, meaning dangerous weather is expected and people are urged to take action to keep themselves and others safe.
The warning, which has led to the cancellation of events including Christmas attractions, is in place from 3am to 11am on Saturday.
The Met Office warns of ‘damaging winds’ with gusts of 90mph possible over the coasts and hills of West and South Wales.
Forecasters say the strongest winds will begin to ease from late morning.
Most people thought the worst: that a nuclear war had begun and the siren sound was a warning the take shelter.
One concerned person wrote on X: ‘Not gunna lie, absolutely s**t my pants when everyone’s phones went off with the ‘alert’ noise thought Putin had finally had enough. #RedAlert’
While another added: ‘Thought the Russians had finally pressed the button’.
A third said: ‘Not gunna lie this absolutely scared the living s**t out of me!! Felt like I was in a genuine disaster movie and nukes were about to drop.’
One person who recalled the threat of nuclear attack during the Cold War said: ‘As a kid of the 80’s I nearly hid under the table and tucked myself into a ball-we genuinely had drills in school to do this in a nuclear war! That red alert for #StormDarragh was something else!’
A driver attempts to recover his van from floodwater in Levenshulme, Manchester, today
A separate amber warning covering a larger stretch of the west coast of the UK, stretching from southern Scotland to Cornwall, and Northern Ireland is in place from 1am until 9pm.
Flying debris and falling trees could pose a risk to life, while large waves and beach material could be thrown on to coastal roads and seafronts.
There could also be damage to buildings and homes, with roofs blown off and power lines brought down, as well as power cuts affecting other services such as mobile phone coverage.
Roads, bridges and railway lines may be closed, with delays and cancellations likely to bus, train and ferry services and flights.
Other people online detailed how the unexpected sound shocked them.
One said: ‘That #redalert on my phone for #StormDarragh scared the absolute life out of me. I didn’t realise it would be quite so much like the noise they use in disaster films.’
Another joked: ‘#RedAlert more like #BrownAlert because I f****** s*** myself.’
A third added: ‘Well #StormDarragh may not get me but the #RedAlert nearly gave me a heart attack! They’re certainly hard to ignore!’
A fourth shared: ‘Sweet Jesus. Almost dropped my phone in the bath n I defo lost a few f****** shades of colour then… ..Surely that ‘alert’ itself was dangerous to people…. Think to anyone driving, Walking.. holding their babies, ect… Crickey (sic) #RedAlert.’
Several parks dotted around the country have closed amid the red weather warning (Pictured left: Windsor Green Park, pictured right: Blenheim Palace closure)
A car is driven through flood water in Levenshulme, Manchester, this morning
The fourth named storm of the season is also expected to bring heavy rain over the weekend, with more than 100 flood warnings and alerts in place across the UK.
An amber warning for rain is in place in Wales from 3am to 6pm on Saturday with heavy rain likely to lead to disruption to transport and infrastructure.
A yellow warning for rain is in place for Northern Ireland and Wales, both of which were badly affected by flooding during Storm Bert, as well as parts of Scotland from 3pm on Friday until noon on Saturday.
Periods of heavy rain in South and mid-Wales through Saturday are likely to see 20-30mm fall in three to six hours, with totals of 80-90mm possible by the time it begins to ease in the evening.
Welsh Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies warned there may be very significant impacts from the storm and urged people to take extreme care this weekend.
Stena Line said the storm would be “impacting” some sailings over the coming days, and Bristol Airport said disruption was expected.
National Rail said the storm was likely to affect services across the whole network, advising people to check their journey in full before travelling as it may mean last services of the day are cancelled and passengers may not reach their destination.
Chiltern Railways advised customers to only travel if absolutely necessary on Saturday with significant disruption expected across the network.
A reduced timetable will be in operation with one train per hour on all routes. Chiltern said customers with tickets on Saturday can use them on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday instead.
Up to 60mm of rain could fall in these areas, which may lead to some flooding and disruption, forecasters said.
