Hundreds of flood warnings and alerts as Storm Chandra disruption continues
Tuesday saw two severe flood warnings, indicating danger to life, issued in England. Both have since been lifted.
They were issued for Upper Frome, Dorchester, and Ottery St Mary, Devon – where the Environment Agency said the River Otter had reached its highest recorded level.
“At the moment, it’s a raging torrent,” Jackie Blackford, whose house overlooks the river, told BBC Radio Devon on Tuesday. “It is horrendous – I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Schools were closed in some parts of England and Northern Ireland on Tuesday.
The heavy rain saw several locations – including Katesbridge in Northern Ireland, Mountbatten in Plymouth and Hurn in Dorset – set new January daily rainfall records.
In Northern Ireland, a peak of more than 10,000 properties were without power and more than 300 schools were closed. Peak wind gusts reached 80mph at Orlock Head on the Ards Peninsula.
Several domestic flights and ferry services were cancelled.
Outside the UK, the Electricity Supply Board (ESB) in the Republic of Ireland said around 20,000 homes, farms and businesses were without power on Tuesday.
Storm Chandra is the third major storm to hit the UK in January, arriving shortly after Ingrid and Goretti – the latter of which was described by the Met Office as among the most impactful to hit Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in 30-35 years.
Additional reporting by Kathryn Armstrong, Chloe Gibson and Christine Butler
