As crews worked to clear fallen trees and restore power to thousands of customers hit by storms Dudley and Eunice last week, a third major storm in less than a week, pushed in off the North Atlantic; bringing more heavy rains and high winds.
Storm Franklin swept across Northern Ireland and northern England before moving on to France, killing at least two more people, and bringing the death toll from the three storms to 16.
In France, a couple in their 70s died Sunday after their car was swept into the English Channel near a small town in Normandy.
“With the wind, the car skidded,” Herve Bougon, mayor of Bricqueville-Sur-Mer, told the Ouest-France newspaper, reports CTV News Canada. “It was pushed onto its side as it sank into the water.”
Storm Franklin’s high winds reached 86 mph at Needles on the Isle of Wight on Sunday night, and 79 mph in Capel Curig in Wales, and 78mph in Orlock Head, Northern Ireland on Monday, according to the BBC.
There is severe flooding being reported in parts of Northern Ireland and hundreds of flood warnings remain in place across England, Scotland and Wales. Earlier on Monday, the Met Office issued two weather warnings – an amber warning for wind in Northern Ireland, and a yellow warning for wind covering Wales, Northern Ireland, most of England, and parts of southwest Scotland.
The wild weather this past week has been fueled by an unusually strong jet stream over the North Atlantic.
The region is not out of the woods just yet
The Met Office says the weather will remain unsettled this week, but the risk of further impacts from wind and rain is much lower than has been seen in recent days, particularly across the south.
Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Andy Page, said: “A strong jet stream is driving weather systems across the North Atlantic ocean with a succession of weather fronts moving into the UK bringing more wet and windy weather at times this week.”
“As Storm Franklin clears the UK and pushes into the near continent this afternoon the windy conditions will gradually ease and showers become fewer, leaving some dry, sunny weather for many.”
The region can expect a band of rain and strong winds overnight, followed by another spell of sunshine. Thursday should be the coldest day of the week with a frost to start for some areas.
The weather is expected to be more settled on Friday before another windy spell, especially in the north, heralds the start of the weekend.
