A hurricane-force storm hit the United Kindgom on Sunday evening. It caused major traffic disruption across the island country. Several flights were only able to take off with significant delays, a huge number of flights were cancelled. The flight of Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air was also affected.
Isha arrives: Orange alert issued
The UK Met Office has issued the second highest, orange alert for almost the entire country: the Atlantic storm Isha has arrived, Economx reports. According to the report from the service on Sunday night, the strongest gusts of almost 150 kilometres per hour were recorded in the Snowdonia area of north Wales. However, winds of 90-120 kilometres per hour are also common in London and many other parts of the country.
Precautionary measures, no power due to the storm
In Scotland, the authorities have brought rail traffic to a complete halt from Sunday evening until Monday morning as a precautionary measure. In England and Wales, speed restrictions have been imposed on several sections of rail lines. More than 45,000 homes in Northern Ireland and 7,000 in England and Wales have lost power due to damage to the power lines.
According to The Guardian, rail services have been suspended since 7 PM on Sunday. Dozens of lines are closed due to fallen trees and flooding. One person was hit by falling debris after scaffolding came down in Belfast. The ambulance service attended to them at the scene.
A police officer secures the scene in Belfast city centre where hurricane-force winds knocked down a scaffolding used for construction work on 21 January 2024. Source: MTI/AP/PA/Rebecca Black
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Air traffic disrupted, flights cancelled and delayed, Wizz Air affected
Air traffic was disrupted mainly at airports in the north-west of England, Scotland and Ireland. At Dublin airport, 114 flights had been cancelled by Sunday evening, with many flights from the UK to Belfast diverted to other airports, Economx writes.
However, at Heathrow, the largest UK airport, traffic was steady despite the gale-force winds. There were no reports of flight cancellations until Sunday night. British Airways’ evening flight from Heathrow to Budapest took off after a one-hour delay. Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air’s Budapest flight from Luton airport was also able to depart after a delay of more than two hours.
Watch two Wizz Air planes try to land and fail due to the storm:
Unusual cold before Isha, warmer weather after it
Storm Isha, which struck the British Isles from the Atlantic Ocean, was forecast to have passed by Monday morning. It was unseasonably cold in the UK for more than a week before the storm arrived. Temperatures in the north reached well below -10 degrees Celsius in the mornings. However, Storm Isha brought significant relief: highs of plus 10-14 degrees Celsius are forecast for this week.
According to The Guardian, Storm Isha is the ninth named storm that hit the UK since the season began in September.
Tree branches blown down by gale-force winds litter the road in south Belfast on January 21, 2024. Source: MTI/AP/PA/Liam McBurney