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A rare supercell thunderstorm that swept across Greater Manchester is believed to have triggered a tornado that damaged around 100 homes as Storm Gerrit grounded flights, canceled trains and ferries and left thousands without power.
A serious incident was reported in Tameside overnight after the suspected tornado ripped roofs and chimneys off homes, smashed windows and left debris and uprooted trees on the streets – leading to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak being called for an emergency meeting of the Cobra to convene “to deliver a rapid, robust turnaround plan”.
Evacuated residents said they suffered an “absolute disaster” the likes of which they had never experienced before, describing the terrible noise from the strong winds as “a plane crashing”. [on] the house,” as flying masonry and other debris damaged buildings and “crushed” cars outside.
The “localized tornado” tore off roofs and caused walls to collapse
(AP Photo/Jon Super)
Engineers and clearance teams worked to restore power to 7,700 homes knocked offline by the storm and clear debris, snow and floodwaters that ground trains and main roads across much of Scotland on Wednesday made impassable.
But travel chaos continued on Thursday, with train cancellations across much of Scotland and severe delays and cancellations in England.
More than 30 flood warnings – meaning flooding is expected – remained in force across Scotland, England and Wales on Thursday, alongside around 160 smaller flood warnings spread across each of the three countries.
All trains from Paddington have been suspended as travel chaos continues across the UK
On Thursday, three men died after their SUV plunged into the River Esk in the North Yorks Moors National Park. It is not yet known how the vehicle ended up in the water, but roads in the area were dangerous after Storm Gerrit.
All trains on the West Highland Line between Glasgow, Oban, Fort William and Mallaig were canceled, while the West Coast main line – which connects London Euston with the West Midlands, north west England, north Wales and southern Scotland – suffered delays due to an accident.
Disruption continued in London Paddington, the hub for the west of England and south Wales, following a death on the Great Western line near Slough.
At London Heathrow, British Airways had canceled 26 flights as of 1 p.m., including return flights to Barcelona, Madrid and Newcastle. Ferry services to the Hebrides, France and the Isle of Wight were also disrupted as strong winds – reaching speeds of 120km/h on Wednesday – continued to batter the coasts.
On the A9, where motorists were stuck in their vehicles for hours on Wednesday as heavy snow blanketed the Drumochter mountain pass, Scottish Police said on Thursday that the main artery through the Highlands had fully reopened in both directions and was “operable with caution”. be “.
After heavy snowfall, cars were stuck on the A9 near Drumochter for hours
(Traffic Scotland)
“Travel conditions in the affected areas can be dangerous and all road users should exercise particular caution,” said Inspector Michelle Burns from the police’s Road Policing Unit.
As Storm Gerrit eased on Thursday, the Met Office warned that the final days of 2023 would bring stronger winds, rain and snow – likely leading to ongoing disruption and confusing maintenance work.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) had power restored to around 34,000 customers by 11am on Thursday, with around 7,700 remaining without power, many of them in the Shetland Islands and north-east Scotland. But he warned that some may remain cut off until Friday.
“One of the biggest impacts we've seen is around access to faults, so blocked roads, flooding in fields and problems with snow,” Graeme Keddie, the company's corporate affairs director, told BBC Radio Scotland.
“We are very confident that this will improve today, but this has resulted in our teams on site saying that (in) the time it would take to fix two or three faults, they were only able to fix one “But we are.” I hope to see further progress today as the weather conditions have eased.”
And as Tameside was rocked by last night's “devastating” supercell storm, Liberal Democrat transport spokeswoman Wera Hobhouse called on Mr Sunak to call ministers together for an emergency meeting.
“Hundreds of lives were thrown into chaos because their homes were destroyed just after Christmas. It’s devastating,” Ms Hobhouse said. “Rishi Sunak must convene an urgent Cobra meeting to ensure a rapid, robust recovery plan so those affected can start rebuilding their lives.
Part of a collapsed roof lies on the ground following the suspected tornado in Stalybridge
(Getty Images)
“Any delay could have a devastating impact on already displaced families whose lives have been upended by this tornado.”
Tameside Council said around 100 properties were evacuated after the “mini-tornado” hit the Carrbrook and Millbrook areas.
Hayley McCaffer, 40, who lives in Carrbrook, said some of her neighbors' houses were “an absolute disaster” with missing roofs and “crushed” cars. She and her partner were unsure when they would be able to return home.
Julie Ann Fielding, from Stalybridge, said the ordeal lasted about ten minutes and she watched as emergency services arrived at the scene and said: “Hail, it’s raining. I have never experienced something like that.
(Getty Images)
“I thought the windows would go through. Fence panels are completely ripped open. The roof opposite was torn off and many cars were badly damaged.”
Another man, who shared shocking footage of his conservatory being destroyed on social media, said: “My ears are still ringing like I've been at a gig!” The chimney was moving down our street and it was so loud it was quiet for a moment, it was weird as hell.”
Meteorologist Alex Burkill said in a forecast for Thursday afternoon: “It's still a windy, stormy picture for many of us for the rest of today.”
Flooded fields on the Somerset Levels
(PA)
“There will likely be some storms, perhaps even severe storms, in some exposed areas and heavy showers; There could be hail and sleet, particularly in parts of Scotland.”
He added that the stormy and rainy picture would continue overnight and into Friday, with winds expected to ease slightly across most of the UK.
Another bout of “very strong winds” and a period of “intense rain” are expected on Saturday, before the weather becomes more unsettled and “stormy, rainy conditions are likely to prevail during New Year's Eve,” the meteorologist said.
Additional reporting by PA