Flights cancelled and thousands left without power from Storm Debi – and more thunderstorms on the way

Flights have been cancelled and thousands of homes have been left without power as Storm Debi struck parts of the UK and Ireland.

A yellow weather warning for wind was in place for northern England today – with a further yellow warning for thunderstorms issued for southern England on Tuesday morning.

British Airways said it, like other airlines, had to “make a small number of cancellations” on Monday.

A BA spokesperson said: “We’ve apologised to our customers for the disruption to their travel plans and our teams are working hard to get them on their way as quickly as possible.”

Severe gales have caused power cuts across the island of Ireland, with around 70,000 homes and businesses left without electricity.

School have also been forced to shut, while focus turns to clearing debris from roads and reconnecting power, with all weather warnings expired.

A postwoman in County Limerick was taken to hospital after being hit by flying debris, her employers said, but she was not badly injured.

Gusts of 77mph were recorded in Gwynedd in Wales, 74mph at Killowen in Northern Ireland and 68mph on the Isle of Man.

Winds of 70-80mph were expected at the coast as Storm Debi moves from west to east, heading out into the North Sea this evening.

People were told to expect flying debris, road and bridge closures, possible power cuts and dangerous conditions by the sea.

The yellow warning for wind in northern England was in place until 9pm, while a yellow alert for heavy rain had also been in force in Aberdeenshire.

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Thunderstorm warning

The yellow warning for thunderstorms covering the south of England is in place from 5am on Tuesday to 12pm.

It says there will be “probably some damage to a few buildings and structures from lightning strikes or strong and gusty winds”.

It also warns of delays to train services and flights – with “short term loss of power” likely.

Storm Debi was officially named by Met Eireann on Sunday and it is the earliest in the season that a storm in alphabetical sequence beginning with ‘D’ has ever hit the British Isles.

The storm season begins in September and, until now, the earliest ‘D’ storm named by them was 2015’s Storm Desmond, which arrived on 4 December.

Debi’s arrival comes just weeks after Storm Ciaran brought winds of over 80mph in southern England and 104mph gusts in the Channel Islands.