(EXPRESS) – The 1,000 mile-wide storm, the strongest to sweep across the country for seven years, will bring travel chaos and the advice is “only travel if absolutely necessary”. Ciara will make driving hazardous, ground flights and cause trains and ferries to be delayed or canceled. Power cuts are likely as overhead cables come down. Thirty-foot waves are forecast to hit coastal areas of south-west and north-west England today, prompting the Met Office to issue amber weather warnings for most of England and Wales. MORE
Flights in and out of European airports were cancelled as Britain’s biggest storm in up to seven years crept into Scotland and the Republic of Ireland, sparking severe weather warnings across the entire UK. Planes in and out of Glasgow, Manchester and Liverpool airports have also faced severe disruption, with Scotland also putting a 40mph speed limit on the Queensferry Crossing before cancelling it altogether. Gatwick and Heathrow airports have also seen disruption along with flights being either delayed by 45 minutes currently, or revised. The Met Office and Network Rail have both predicted winds of more than 80mph, gusting up to 90mph, battering coastal areas, with up to 70mph winds inland across England and Wales today. MORE