Storm Conall brings flooding and travel disruption, closing rail lines
Storm Conall has caused significant rainfall in areas of southeast England, leading to flooding that has disrupted major train routes.
Travelers are being cautioned about significant delays on certain routes, and it's recommended that they avoid traveling on specific sections of the network.
The Met Office has forecasted that the third named storm of the season might bring as much as 50mm (two inches) of rain on Wednesday, following heavy rainfall from Storm Bert just days earlier.
The Dutch meteorological organization KNMI has designated the new storm as Conall, as it moves toward southern England, bringing with it a region of reduced atmospheric pressure.
Following heavy rainfall in the southern regions, the weather is expected to worsen, leading to strong winds sweeping across the Netherlands later on Wednesday and continuing into Thursday.
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A yellow rain warning from the Met Office was in effect for southern England, affecting areas such as Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Essex, Hampshire, Dorset, portions of London, and the Isle of Wight.
An earlier alert concerning Plymouth in Devon was removed on Wednesday morning.
The Met Office predicted that there would be 15 to 20mm of rainfall, with certain regions possibly receiving 30 to 40mm. There is also a slight possibility of some areas in the South East experiencing up to 50mm of rain.
Interruption of train services
Heavy rainfall and various incidents have impacted numerous train services in the area, including Thameslink, Gatwick Express, Great Northern, South Western, and Southern.
Thameslink is recommending that travelers avoid using routes in and out of London until later this afternoon. Trains operating from London Blackfriars and St Albans are impacted, and services between Cambridge and Brighton have been halted.
The tunnels in Farringdon and Bletchingley have experienced flooding.
In the meantime, Southern has halted services for the Gatwick Express. Additionally, train operations are currently not available between Redhill and Tonbridge, as well as between Reigate and Gatwick, and Reigate and London Victoria (operated by Great Western).
Great Western and South Western have announced delays on services passing through Southampton Central due to flooding and a fallen tree. This disruption impacts travel to and from Cardiff Central, Bristol Temple Meads, London Waterloo, and Portsmouth Harbour.
There are issues affecting the trains between Guildford and Wokingham/Farnham. Passengers should anticipate cancellations or delays until around 2 PM.
South Western has indicated that there will probably be delays between Ascot and Aldershot due to previous flooding in Bagshot.
On the Isle of Wight, transportation is disrupted between Ryde Esplanade and Ryde St Johns Road.
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By Wednesday afternoon, England was facing 89 flood warnings and 158 flood alerts.
A strong flood alert, indicating a threat to life, remained active at Billing Aquadrome holiday park and the nearby areas along the River Nene in Northampton.
Efforts to clear up after Storm Bert are ongoing.
The intense rainfall follows the aftermath of Storm Bert, which caused severe downpours and winds exceeding 80mph. This weather event transformed streets into flowing rivers and led to the flooding of numerous homes, leaving communities in the process of recovery.
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Previously, the Met Office issued a warning that additional flooding is expected in the UK this week. They anticipate more heavy rainfall in the southern regions, coupled with a drop in temperatures starting Wednesday.
Chris Wilding from the Environment Agency mentioned that areas in Northamptonshire are likely to experience considerable flooding effects, while the River Severn may face some light flooding.
The effects of flooding in Yorkshire and the West Midlands are not anticipated to get any worse in the coming days.
Check out more from Sky News: Dad rescues his son from a sinking vehicle. Cleanup efforts start following Storm Bert.
Storms are named collaboratively by KNMI, the Met Office, and Ireland's Met Eireann to facilitate clear communication about extreme weather events.
Initially introduced in 2015, the storm season usually starts in early September and continues until late August of the next year, aligning with the onset of autumn.
