Britain battered by 80mph winds as Storm Malik sweeps in
Woman, 60, is killed by falling tree, restaurant boss nearly dies when wall crushes his Range Rover and 36,000 homes have no power as Storm Malik winds reach 147mph with Storm Corrie bringing more gales tomorrow
Gusts of up to 80mph are set to batter Scotland, Northern Ireland and north of England as Storm Malik rolls in60-year-old woman dies after being struck by falling tree in Aberdeen, Scotland, police confirm today Meanwhile, father-of-two Russel Choudary, 40, narrowly escaped being crushed by falling bricks in Tyneside Northern Powergrid warned supply and mobile phone coverage had been affected by storm’s intensityThe Met Office has issued a ‘danger to life’ warning from ‘flying debris’ and potential power outagesMuch of England however is set for one-day break from winter chill with temperatures up to at least 11C (52F)
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A woman has been killed by a falling tree as powerful gusts nearing 150mph from Storm Malik continue to batter Britain, with Storm Corrie expected to bring further devastation tomorrow.
The gale-force winds have cost the life of a 60-year-old woman, who was struck by a falling tree at around 10.30am on Saturday in Aberdeen, Scotland.
A Police Scotland spokesperson confirmed that there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the elderly woman’s death, and her case will now be passed onto the Procurator Fiscal.
Winds topping 100mph were recorded in parts of Scotland on Saturday, with one meteorologist claiming to have seen speeds of 147mph at Cairngorm summit in the Scottish Highlands – the same speed as Formula Rossa, one of the world’s fastest rollercoasters.
Pictures taken in South Shields, Tyneside also showed the devastation Storm Malik wreaked on Saturday morning, with one stunned motorist discovering his £25,000 Range Rover destroyed by debris caused by strong winds.
Father-of-two Russel Choudary, 40, had just moved his pristine white car to the opposite side of his street in South Shields to protect it from slates which had plummeted to the ground from his neighbour’s house.
But as soon as he parked the Range Rover, gale force winds caused dozens of bricks to cascade onto his 4×4, completely destroying it and leaving him distraught.
‘If I had moved it a minute earlier, I would have been killed’, he explained.
‘No sooner did I reach my front door, the bricks came crashing down. I could have been inside that car. It doesn’t bear thinking about.
‘There’s no way I would have survived. I feel very lucky to be alive.’
Northern Powergrid also warned of severe disruption to energy supplies and mobile phone coverage throughout Saturday, with safety advice around potential power cuts also being issued by Scotland’s provider SP Energy.
More than 60,000 homes have already suffered some form of loss of power on Saturday, according to Northern Powergrid. Its live update map also appeared to crash at points throughout the day due to a surge in online traffic.
It follows prolonged power outages lasting up to a fortnight in the Scottish Highlands following a spate of bad weather over the December period.
Yellow weather warnings remain in place across all of Scotland, northern England and parts of Northern Ireland for most of Saturday as Storm Malik is expected to bring high winds and rain.
There is an amber warning for eastern Scotland, where damaging gusts of wind will likely cause disruption to road, rail, air and ferry services.
Meanwhile, the Met Office has named a low-pressure system expected to bring fresh devastation to Britain on Sunday with gusts of up to 90mph as Storm Corrie.
Chief Meteorologist, Dan Suri, said: ‘Storm Corrie will bring very strong winds to the north of the UK, especially northern Scotland, on Sunday. This follows just one day after Storm Malik moves though also bringing a spell of very strong winds.
‘Storm Corrie will bring gusts of up to 90mph in exposed coastal locations in northern Scotland, with 70-80mph gusts more widely in the north. With back-to-back storms there could be updates to severe weather warnings, so keep an eye on the Met Office forecast.’
The Met Office has issued a ‘danger to life’ warning as gusts of up to 80mph could batter northern areas of the UK this weekend as Storm Malik sweeps in. Pictured: A fallen tree on top of a car in West Ralnton, near Durham this morning
A Russel Choudary, 40, looks on at the remains of his £25,000 Range Rover in South Shields, Tyneside after debris collapsed on top of the vehicle following strong winds brought by Storm Malik
Waves have drenched the promenade in Greenock, on Scotland’s west coast this morning
A picture shows a pair of trees in one person’s back garden in Leeds after they were uprooted by powerful 80mph gusts brought by Storm Malik on Saturday
There is an amber warning for eastern Scotland, where damaging gusts of wind will likely cause disruption to road, rail, air and ferry services. Pictured: Wheelie bins lie on the ground and bricks litter a pathway after a wall collapsed in a back lane in North Shields, North Tyneside this morning
The Met Office has placed an amber warning on eastern Scotland until 3pm today for ‘very strong winds and disruption’ that could affect road, rail, air and ferry services. A yellow weather warning remains in place for Scotland and much of northern England until Monday
More than 60,000 homes have already suffered some form of loss of power on Saturday, according to Northern Powergrid. Its live update map (pictured) also appeared to crash at points throughout the day due to a surge in online traffic
A person tries to walk their dog as a sandstorm is whipped up on a blustery morning at Tynemouth Beach on the north east coast on Saturday morning
A fallen tree blocks part of the road in Woodlesford, West Yorkshire, as Storm Malik battered Britain on Saturday
Four young men take the plunge in the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday morning as they hit the beach in Newquay, Cornwall before Storm Malik brought gusts of up to 80mph in coastal parts of Britain
A pair of dogwalkers brave the elements as they take their pooch for a quick walk around Tynemouth Beach, North Tyneside on Saturday
Restaurant boss Mr Choudary is now waiting to see if he will be able to claim for his car, which has a personalised number plate, on his insurance. He had only had the Range Rover Evoke for two years.
He added: ‘I really hope it gets sorted soon because my vehicle is essential for work.
‘I need it to transport food, and also for my staff. But really, things could have been so much worse.’
On Saturday, dramatic photographs showed a tree blocking a lane on the A1 near Musselburgh, Scotland that narrowly missed a motorist.
Large waves have battered the west coast, with promenades in Blackpool, Lancs., and Greenock in Scotland getting drenched.
Power supplies and mobile phone coverage could also be affected.
On Saturday morning, meteorologist for the broadcaster STV Sean Batty tweeted: ‘Had an extreme gust of 147mph recorded on the Cairngorm summit an hour ago.
‘This is an incredible strength, but still a way off from the record of 173mph recorded back in 1986.’
Power supplies and mobile phone coverage has been affected, with Northern Powergrid Director, Paul Glendinning saying: ‘Storm Malik is causing disruption to our network as it continues to move across our operating area.
‘Our teams are responding, restoring power through alternative routes on our network where possible, assessing damage and co-ordinating repairs wherever conditions permit
‘We have mobilised our customer support vehicles immediately to ensure we have welfare arrangements in place and we are keeping local resilience partners informed of the communities worst affected as a result of Storm Malik.
‘We thank our customers for their patience and would like to reassure them that we are doing all we can to provide updates about when we will be able to get their power safely back on.’
SP Energy Networks, the company responsible for electricity transmission in central and southern Scotland, issued safety advice around potential power cuts.
It said customers should keep a battery or wind-up torch to hand and keep mobile phones fully charged, and people should also beware of fallen power lines.
Network Rail Scotland said it would introduce some speed restrictions for safety, and have additional staff equipped with chainsaws across the network to deal with blocked tracks.
On Saturday morning it said fallen trees had caused numerous services to be cancelled, including Inverness to Thurso, Perth to Aberdeen, Aberdeen to Dundee and Glasgow Queen Street to Oban.
Two Scottish Premiership games were postponed, with matches between Aberdeen and St Johnstone and Dundee and St Mirren called off due to safety concerns around the stadiums.
A statement on Aberdeen’s website read: ‘Today’s match against St Johnstone has been postponed due to Storm Malik and safety concerns around the stadium.
‘We have been working closely with emergency services and the SPFL throughout the morning, closely monitoring the situation in the hope that conditions might improve to allow the game to be staged, but ultimately the safety of supporters, players and staff is our paramount concern and we would ask everyone to continue to adhere to the guidance being given by Police Scotland.’
The Scottish Premiership confirmed that Dundee’s game at Dens Park was off due to high winds.
The Championship game between Arbroath and Partick Thistle was also cancelled with no new dates set for the games.
Paul Gunderson, chief meteorologist for the Met Office, said: ‘The impacts of Storm Malik are going to be greatest in Denmark on Sunday, but the track of the storm in the preceding hours means that the UK will be dealt a glancing blow as Malik moves eastwards on Saturday.
‘For those in the north of the UK there will be high winds and rain on Saturday, with showers possibly turning wintry in the high ground in the north.
‘The highest winds are expected in exposed coastal areas in the north and east of Scotland, but it will be a windy day for most.’
More very strong winds are expected as another low pressure system moves across northern areas on Sunday, with some snow possible across parts of Scotland.
Another yellow warning for wind is in place for the northern UK from 6pm on Sunday until noon on Monday.
Northern Powergrid’s website implemented a queue system at points on Saturday to manage a surge in online traffic
There is an amber warning for eastern Scotland, where damaging gusts of wind will likely cause disruption to road, rail, air and ferry services. Pictured: Larges waves on Blackpool’s north shore
Paul Gunderson, chief meteorologist for the Met Office, said: ‘For those in the north of the UK there will be high winds and rain on Saturday, with showers possibly turning wintry in the high ground in the north.’ Pictured: Greenock on Scotland’s west coast
Storm Malik is expected to bring in gusts reaching up to 80mph in coastal areas, but more widely 60mph, as it tracks eastwards towards Denmark. Pictured: A driver had a narrow escape on the A1 near Musselburgh after Storm Malik blew down a large tree onto the road.
Pictured: Uprooted trees lie fallen on the ground in North Shields, North Tyneside this morning as Storm Malik arrives
Pictured: Wheelie bins lie on the ground in a back lane in North Shields, North Tyneside this morning
Pictured: Beachgoers in rough conditions as a sand storm hits Tynemouth beach this morning
‘The highest winds are expected in exposed coastal areas in the north and east of Scotland, but it will be a windy day for most.’
Further south, the weekend weather will feature some blustery winds and some rain.
The storm will also drive a cold front southwards, with temperatures set to come down throughout Saturday and widespread frost expected to form across the UK in the night into Sunday.
More very strong winds are expected as another low pressure system moves across northern areas on Sunday, with some snow possible across parts of Scotland.
Another yellow warning for wind is in place for the northern UK from 6pm on Sunday until noon on Monday.
