Photos: Deadly Storm Doris cuts power to more than 500,000 in the UK
Storm Doris turned deadly as it created travel chaos, widespread tree damage and hundreds of thousands of power cuts across the United Kingdom on Thursday.
The strongest storm of the winter to slam England and Wales, Storm Doris is being dubbed a "weather bomb" due to its rapid intensification, also known as bombogenesis, as it crossed the U.K.
A large tree branch landed on a car in Colwyn Bay, North Wales, on 23 February 2017. (Twitter photo/@WelshmanJac)
That strengthening allowed Storm Doris to produce widespread wind gusts of 50-65 mph (80-105 km/h) from Northern Ireland to Wales and England.
However, stronger gusts battered northern Wales and southern North West England.
Capel Curig, Wales, recorded a wind gust to 94 mph (152 km/h) on Thursday morning from Storm Doris. Winds also peaked at 72 mph (116 km/h) at Liverpool.
Downed trees landed on cars in Wrexham, Wales, on 23 February 2017. (Twitter photo/@Bekijo1)
Trees were brought down, damaging cars in some communities.
Falling debris is being blamed for the death of a woman in Wolverhampton in the West Midlands, according to the BBC News.
Paramedics told the BBC that the woman died on the scene after suffering "very serious head injuries."
Two other people sustained serious injuries due to wind-swept debris.
Power cuts from Storm Doris throughout the U.K. have totaled more than 500,000.
That figure includes 327,000 customers of Western Power Distribution. Power cuts were very brief for 155,000 of those customers, while the remaining 168,000 customers had to wait for crews to restore power in what Western Power Distribution called "very challenging conditions."
Aigburth Road tree blown over blocking the city centre way traffic in Liverpool on 23 February 2017. (Twitter photo/@terry_bouch)
The Queen Elizabeth II Bridge at Dartford Crossing was closed due to safety concerns amid the high winds, according to Highways England. The bridge carries southbound traffic across the River Thames.
Winds at the nearby London City Airport gusted to 64 mph (103 km/h).
A fallen tree lies on a road in Crayford, located east of London, on 23 February 2017. (Twitter photo/@papajimbo5446)
More than 70 flights were canceled at London’s Heathrow Airport on Thursday with the number of delayed flights topping 300, Flight Aware reported.
Rail service was also disrupted with trees blocking some railways, according to National Rail.
<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ensure trampolines and other large garden items are secure, receiving reports of flying trampolines... <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StormDoris?src=hash">#StormDoris</a> <a href="https://t.co/WFfX577ozK">pic.twitter.com/WFfX577ozK</a></p>— EllesmerePort Police (@PoliceEport) <a href="https://twitter.com/PoliceEport/status/834710265610567681">February 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js</center>
A damaged wall in Moreton, Wirral, on 23 February 2017. (Twitter photo/@CllrCBlakeley)
Crews of the Droitwich fire station work to make this scene in Kidderminster, England, safe after a tree downed by Storm Doris struck a home. (Twitter photo/@HWFireGCWills)
On the northern fringe of Storm Doris, enough cold air was in place for snow to fall across Scotland.
Snow covered Strathdon, Scotland, on 23 February 2017. (Twitter photo/@mr_snowman7)
Snow made an appearance in Glasgow and Edinburgh, but proved to be more disruptive on the M80 as officials were forced to close the motorway for a time.
<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">*CLEARED*<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/M80?src=hash">#M80</a> is now RE-OPEN BOTH WAYS ððð, it may take a while for delays to clear.<br><br>Thank you for your patience!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Central?src=hash">#Central</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/BEAR_M80">@BEAR_M80</a> <a href="https://t.co/l11lzJ0PAx">https://t.co/l11lzJ0PAx</a></p>— Traffic Scotland (@trafficscotland) <a href="https://twitter.com/trafficscotland/status/834719980335792129">February 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js</center>
Significant snow settled on Fife, Scotland, on 23 February 2017. (Twitter photo/@CountrysideBen)
This snowy scene was captured in Auchterarder, Scotland, on 23 February 2017. (Twitter photo/@spodzone)
Snow settled on Kelty in Fife, Scotland, on 23 February 2017. (Twitter photo/Mo Warden, Grafixation Ltd)
Storm Doris brought heavy snowfall to parts of Scotland on February 23, forcing the M80 to close. One motorist took advantage of the downtime to put in some exercise.
The fresh snow has prompted Scottish Avalanche Information Service to warn of a "considerable" risk of avalanches in the southern Scottish Highlands.
The next system to target the U.K. on Friday night and Saturday will be less potent than Storm Doris.
<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here are some of the strongest gusts we have seen so far today from <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StormDoris?src=hash">#StormDoris</a> <a href="https://t.co/SzkoRG0pH3">pic.twitter.com/SzkoRG0pH3</a></p>— Met Office (@metoffice) <a href="https://twitter.com/metoffice/status/834785267869433857">February 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js</center>
However, western and exposed areas of Scotland and North West England will face localized flooding downpours and wind gusts of 50-60 mph (80-96 km/h) on Friday night and Saturday.
"The combination of melting snow from Storm Doris and rain from the next system may also lead to flooding in some locations," AccuWeather Meteorologist Tyler Roys said. Low-lying and poor drainage areas would be most at risk.
Another spell of rain and gusty winds will push across the U.K. to end the weekend. There can be occasional gusts to 50 mph (80 km/h) at coastal and exposed areas of the western and northern U.K.
The gusty winds this weekend could further damage trees and power lines weakened during Storm Doris.
Report a Typo
