UK weather: Driver killed by tree as Storm Erik brings winds of 70mph
Written by News on 09/02/2019
A man has died after strong gusts brought by Storm Erik blew a tree on to his car in Devon.
The tree struck two cars in Buckfastleigh at about 5.30am on Friday, Devon and Cornwall Police said.
A woman who was in the other car that was hit by the same tree had to be “extracted” by firefighters and was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
Police praised an HGV driver for blocking off the A384 with his lorry to stop others from crashing into the oak tree.
A British Airways plane was filmed aborting a landing at Heathrow against gusts of more than 80mph.
The flight was forced to ascend back into the sky as it attempted to touch ground.
A BA spokesperson said: “Our highly skilled pilots regularly train to conduct the standard manoeuvre known as a ‘go around’. The aircraft circled the airport and landed safely.”
An “energised jet stream” hit the UK on Friday morning after the storm, named Erik by Irish forecasters, brought winds of 56mph to Cork on Thursday night.
Northern Ireland and western Scotland faced “particularly strong winds” of up to 70mph on the coast.
The Met Office has warned there could be power cuts and travel delays in these areas, and has extended its wind warning until 3pm on Saturday.
Rain warnings are also in place for most of Scotland where heavy downpours could lead to flooding which could cause delays or cancellations to train and bus services.
There is a chance some communities in Scotland may be cut off by flooded roads, the Met Office added.
Erik hit Ireland on Thursday evening, with waves washing over the sea view promenade in Galway, while the Irish Coast Guard posted video of waves crashing over harbour walls as they reminded people to stay away from beaches, cliffs, piers, and harbour walls.
The rest of the country has experienced lower levels of rain and strong gusts, especially in Wales, the West and South West England.
The Welsh and Cornish coasts could experience winds of 55mph and the southern English coast could reach 50mph, Met Office meteorologist Sarah Kent warned.
Temperatures will be above normal, reaching double figures in the South East, but will feel cooler because of the winds, forecasters from the Weather Channel said.
Sunday will see a little respite but there is still a risk of gales and snow in the North and over the Welsh hills.
(c) Sky News 2019: UK weather: Driver killed by tree as Storm Erik brings winds of 70mph
