Storm Goretti aftermath as flood warnings and 85mph wind warnings nonetheless in place

Storm Goretti brought 100mph winds and heavy rain to the UK, with thousands still without power and flood warnings in place as the Met Office warns of continued wet and windy conditions

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Alerts have been issued for torrential downpours and fierce winds reaching speeds of up to 85mph, with milder but unsettled conditions expected next week, according to the Met Office. This follows Storm Goretti, which battered the country with gusts approaching 100mph and prompted forecasters to issue a rare red warning for “dangerous, stormy” conditions across the South West earlier this week.

With rising temperatures on the horizon, the Met Office warned that snow melt and a “rapid thaw” throughout northern Britain, coupled with additional rainfall, could spark flooding fears in the aftermath of the storm.

By Sunday afternoon, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency website showed 12 flood alerts and three flood warnings remained active.

Meanwhile, England saw two flood warnings issued alongside 62 flood alerts on the Environment Agency website, whilst Natural Resources Wales had three flood alerts in place.

Thousands of properties remained without electricity on Sunday afternoon following the storm’s impact, the National Grid’s website confirmed, with National Rail cautioning that travel disruption could persist until Monday.

A yellow rain warning remains in effect until Sunday’s end across south-west Scotland, Lothian Border and Strathclyde, with forecasters predicting up to 90mm of precipitation over elevated terrain in Dumfries and Galloway.

A separate rain alert blankets north-western Scottish regions until 10am Monday, where up to 110mm of rainfall could potentially fall across parts of Skye, Lochaber, Argyll and the Trossachs, the Met Office confirmed. A yellow wind warning is currently in effect for north-west Scotland, with gusts potentially reaching a staggering 85mph, until 8am on Monday.

On Sunday, alerts for snow and ice were issued for parts of northern England and Scotland, along with heavy rain warnings for Northern Ireland.

Forecasters are urging those residing in the affected areas to brace themselves for possible travel delays, hazardous driving conditions, and potential flooding.

Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan warned of “wet and windy weather” on Sunday night, adding: “Combined with the rainfall, the higher temperatures – we will see some flooding due to the snow melt gradually as we go through the next few days so that’s the main concern.”

He further cautioned: “We could potentially see wind gusts as high as 85mph this evening and through the early hours of Monday morning for the Outer Hebrides and the Highlands of Scotland.

“Such conditions could certainly lead to transport disruptions, such as ferry cancellations and bridge closures, but it will be the rainfall, as I say, that’s more likely to impact road transport due to some flooding.”

Over the weekend, a Government minister expressed his dissatisfaction, labelling it as “entirely unacceptable” that residents in several areas in the South East and South West are facing water supply issues following the recent cold snap and storm.

In a statement released that evening, Mary Creagh, the minister for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, revealed she had chaired a meeting with water companies and “local resilience forums” with the aim of restoring supplies as swiftly as possible while “prioritising vulnerable customers and essential public services”.

South East Water (SEW) announced on its website that customers in East Grinstead, West Sussex and the surrounding areas have been grappling with “no water, intermittent supply or low pressure” since Saturday morning. Despite efforts to rectify this, the company warned it “do not expect this situation to improve until the end of the weekend”.

On Sunday, the company explained that the storm had hampered its ability to treat water “at the normal rate”. Burst water mains due to freeze and thaw conditions across Kent and Sussex meant drinking water storage levels were dwindling.

SEW also cautioned that customers in Staplehurst, Kent and the surrounding areas may experience “no water, intermittent supply or low pressure”.

Meanwhile, South West Water described the impact of Storm Goretti on its water network as “devastating” in a statement on its website on Sunday afternoon. The company reported that six major water mains in the Helston area had been “severely damaged” by uprooted trees, continuing to disrupt water supply for customers.

The company confirmed that repair works are underway, adding that it had managed to restore supplies to more than half of those affected.

Police confirmed that a man in his 50s was discovered dead in a caravan after a tree crashed onto the vehicle in Helston, Cornwall, during the storm.

Emergency services rushed to the scene on Thursday evening, with efforts to clear the fallen tree taking place on Friday.

Looking ahead to next week’s weather, Mr Morgan said it will start on a “milder note” and remain frost-free.

He continued: “It will generally be a fairly wet and windy week and unsettled week to come, showers or longer spells of rain with some dry interludes too.

“So most of the showers on Monday in the west, some eastern areas getting away with a largely dry day, but still very windy in the northwest of Scotland with some longer spells of rain here, and the change will be thereafter, really, with some dry interludes.

“Wednesday looks the more widely dry day of the week but otherwise, most days will see either scattered showers and sunny spells or generally wetter conditions, so temperatures close to average for the time of year but feeling not as cold as the last 10 days or so of January have been.”

On Monday, peaks of around 11C are anticipated across England and Wales, with temperatures reaching up to 7C in parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland, the meteorologist explained.

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