Storm Erik has claimed a third victim after a kitesurfer died in Devon this morning while 80mph gales tear down trees and batter the British Isles.
The person, who has not been named but is thought to be a man, was airlifted to North Devon District Hospital but could not be saved.
Witness John Ingram told Devon Live that the ‘man is believed to be a local kite surfer who was caught out in today’s very rough weather.’
This death is the third after a 50-year-old man was killed yesterday when brutal winds caused a large tree weighing several tonnes to fall on the A384 at Buckfastleigh, Devon at 5.30am and collide with his van.
While the driver, from Totnes in Devon, sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, the female driver of a Hyundai miraculously escaped with only minor injuries.
A kite surfer was airlifted to North Devon District Hospital this morning, but they sadly died a short while later. Pictured is the scene on Saunton Beach as emergency services arrived to provide assistance
The tail end of Storm Erik – the first named storm of 2019 – still has enough strength to bring huge waves battering the sea defences at Aberystwyth on the Cardigan Bay coast
A British Airways aircraft aborts it’s landing at Leeds Bradford airport this morning as strong winds from Storm Erik continue to batter the UK
Storm damage is seen on a terraced house on Foundry Street where high winds have removed the top of the gable end of the wall in Dukinfield, Manchester
A woman struggles through strong gusts during the tail end of Storm Erik in Aberystwyth on the Cardigan Bay coast, West Wales this morning
Another driver was also killed at around 10am on Friday on the B4306 between Llannon and Pontyberem in west Wales.
Shocking video footage also shows a baby escaping death after ferocious gales from Storm Erik swept one horrified parent’s pram into the road, forcing a car to suddenly brake.
The vicious storm rages on for a second day, with a yellow weather warning in place for most of England and Wales – with travel disruption on the roads and rail network.
But it has already caused widespread damage and disruption, with two reported dead, and one father enduring their worst nightmare – as their pram is dragged into a busy road.
The video, taken in Dublin yesterday, shows the father taking his child for a walk in a pram. Suddenly the wind snatches something from his hands, and the parent quickly makes chase.
While away from their child, the ferocious gales sweep the pram into the road – as the horrified man filming the footage shouts out a warning.
A father takes his child for a walk through Dublin during the height of Storm Erik on Friday. Just moments later, the winds snatch something from the pram
As the father makes chase, his pram is swept into a busy street forcing an Audi driver to slam on their brakes. The man filming the footage shouts in horror as the scene unfolds
The child and pram crash into the road, as the winds sweep them into the path of a moving car. An Audi driver has to slam on their brakes to avoid a crash
The parent runs over to pick up their child and the pram. Fortunately both made it out without injury
But it’s too late and the child and pram veer into the road, tipping over in the process – and an Audi has to slam on its brakes to avoid a crash.
The child can be heard crying as the parents races to get them out of the road. But fortunately both make it away unharmed.
Fierce winds are expected to batter most of the British Isles today as the Met Office issues a yellow weather warning for strong wind covers much of Wales, central and northern England and southern Scotland until 3pm on Saturday.
A separate yellow warning running until 3pm on Saturday for northern Scotland predicts heavy rain could lead to flooding.
While in Dublin, the strong winds are set to continue – but to a lesser extent, with gusts of up to 37mph. And over in Belfast gusts will reach as much as 36mph.
A weather warning for wind on Saturday has been extended to cover most of the UK, while in Scotland heavy rain is expected into the afternoon, with a risk of flooding in some parts. This satellite image shows the expected weather for today
This was the scene in Woolacombe, North Devon this morning as strong winds continued to batter the coast. Gales are expected until later this afternoon
A yellow weather warning is due to remain in place until 2pm this afternoon covering large swathes of the country. A yellow weather warning for rain has also been issued for parts of Scotland
It comes after a day after the ferocious storm killed two people on Friday, including a driver at around 10am on the B4306 between Llannon and Pontyberem in west Wales.
The brutal winds caused a large tree to fall on a country road and it collided with a van, killing the man inside.
Meanwhile, a huge tree weighing several tonnes crushed an Alfa Romeo carrying a 50-year-old man as it travelled along the storm-lashed A384 at Buckfastleigh, Devon at 5.30am.
The driver, a 50-year-old man from Totnes in Devon, sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, while the female driver of a Hyundai miraculously escaped with only minor injuries.
Today, heavy rain is expected in Scotland the afternoon, with a risk of flooding in some parts – and some mixed with hale and becoming thundery.
Meteorologist Alex Burkill, from the Met Office, said: ‘It’s going to be another very windy one, particularly across northern England, Northern Ireland, southern Scotland and northern Wales.
‘They’re going to have very strong winds. We could therefore see some further problems on roads.’
Passengers had a miraculous escape when a large tree crashed through the roof of a double-decker bus in Poole, Dorset. There were no injuries, as none of the five passengers on board were sat at the front of the bus at the time
A motorist has died after Storm Erik ripped a giant tree from the earth and sent it flying into the road in Devon (pictured), as meteorologists issued ‘danger to life’ warnings due amid 80mph winds and heavy rain
Footage emerged yesterday showing a British Airways plane forced to abandon its initial landing at Heathrow airport after strong winds put the aircraft off-balance seconds before it was about to touch down.
As winds ease off later on Saturday, some hill snow is forecast in central and southern parts of England and into Wales, Mr Burkill said, before calmer conditions on Sunday.
‘That (hill snow) will clear through Sunday morning, with blustery showers following behind. Meanwhile, in the north it’s going to be a fairly bright day. There will be a few showers perhaps and it could turn windy but not as windy as today by any means.’
This weekend, homes and buildings are at risk of damage from flooding and motorists could face more travel woes because of brutal high winds that are expected to uproot trees.
The Met Office says that strong westerly winds will move east throughout Saturday and could reach speeds of up to 70 mph.
It also warns that the winds could lead to power cuts in some areas, adding that people living on the coast may also see large waves.
On Friday, horrifying footage showed a British Airways plane aborting a landing at Heathrow as Storm Erik hit Britain.
The storm killed one motorist after gusts ripped a tree from the ground and sent it flying onto a busy A-road.
Winds travelling at over 80mph saw several passenger jets struggle to land at airports across the country, with one BA flight forced to climb back into the sky as it attempted to meet the tarmac near London.
Meanwhile, passengers had a miraculous escape in Poole, Dorset when a large tree crashed through the roof of a double-decker bus, obliterating the front few seats of the top deck, where no-one was sitting at the time.
In Wales, two people were pulled from a submerged car after it left a flooded road in St Clears, near Carmarthen.
The storm has caused widespread travel delays, with railway lines blocked by fallen trees, high winds disrupting planes at airports and the Severn Bridge between Wales and England one of many to be shut to all traffic.
Strong winds and heavy rain is set to batter much of Britain today, with clearer skies expected through the weekend (shown)
A yellow wind warning has been declared for parts of northern England and Northern Ireland, while a yellow rain warning covering much of Scotland warned that there could be power cuts and flooding.
The first storm of the year is tracking east across Northern Ireland, northern England and Scotland throughout today and into Saturday.
The severe weather has caused disruption throughout much of the UK, including;
- Delays at Heathrow and Leeds airports as planes struggle to land and take-off due to high winds
- The closure of Severn Bridge, linking Wales and England, and the A38 Tamar Bridge, between Devon and Cornwall, in both directions
- Road closures throughout the country, including the A384 at Buckfastleigh, Devon, where a man has died after a tree fell on his car
- Train services suspended between Tattenham Corner and Coulsdon Town in Surrey due to fallen tree on the line
An aircraft struggles to land in strong cross winds at Englands highest airport, Leeds Bradford International, as Storm Erik batters the UK
Waves smashed against the breakwater in Newhaven, East Sussex, sending water shooting higher than the lighthouse
Giant waves crash over the Cobb wall as Storm Eric uleashes its full fury on the Dorset coastline at Lyme Regis yesterday afternoon
The storm has caused widespread travel delays, with railway lines blocked by fallen trees, high winds disrupting planes at airports and the Severn Bridge between Wales and England one of many to be shut to all traffic
A cyclist gets a soaking (pictured) as the wind brings waves crashing across the road at Southsea, near Portsmouth yesterday
A windsurfer makes the most of the treacherous conditions as he rides the waves in Lyme Regis, Dorset, where they have been many flood warnings issued
Commuters on Waterloo Bridge in London struggled as gusts of wind blasted across the River Thames
One woman looks on suspiciously as a couple stand underneath an umbrella on the Millennium Bridge in London
Newhaven Lighthouse in East Sussex is battered by waves whipped up by Stork Erik which has formed in the Atlantic
These two people scuttled across the Millennium Bridge in London as storms battered large parts of the country
Flood warnings have also been issued by authorities in Dorset while several flood alerts are in place across the south west and central England.
Met Office chief meteorologist Will Lang said southern and central England would not escape the brutal gales despite not being directly in the path of the storm, adding that Friday would be a ‘windy day for everyone’.
The Welsh and Cornish coasts could see winds of 55mph, while along the coast of southern England gusts could reach 50mph.
This pick up truck edged its way along the front of the sea wall in Prestwick, Scotland as waves slammed into the coast
This satellite image shows the eye of the storm north of Antrim and approaching the western coast of Scotland
Tourists crossing the Millennium Bridge across the River Thames braved the inclement conditions in the city
The stormy weather resulted in some ‘quite nasty travelling conditions’, meteorologist Sarah Kent warned yesterday.
She added: ‘It’s going to be a noticeably windy day everywhere today. And that is going to be in association with outbreaks of heavy rain too, so there will be some quite nasty travelling conditions out there this morning.’
While there is expected to be a lull in the fiercest winds on Friday evening, gusts will pick up again around midnight, when a warning for wind will cover Northern Ireland, southern Scotland and much of Northern England.
Storm Erik was named by Irish forecaster Met Eireann on Thursday and overnight brought winds of 56mph to Cork.
Troon in Scotland is battered by strong winds, with the rest of the country covered by a yellow weather warning lasting until tomorrow
The Met Office warned that travel delays throughout the day were very likely, with the risk of fallen trees blocking roads and railways and high winds disrupting planes (pictured in Leeds) and closing bridges and ferry routes
Members of the public look on as Storm Erik makes landfall with winds of up to 70mph hitting areas along the coast of the UK including Prestwick, Scotland (pictured)
The first storm of the year is tracking east across Northern Ireland , northern England and Scotland throughout Friday and into Saturday (pictured is Lyme Regis)
Flood warnings have also been issued by authorities in Dorset (pictured) while several flood alerts are in place across the south west and central England
HMS Belfast tweeted these pictures of rough-conditions this morning along with the caption: ‘Having that Friday feeling’
Giant waves crash over the Cobb wall as Storm Eric unleashes its full fury on the Dorset coastline at Lyme Regis this afternoon
A shopper in Troon, Scotland, does her best in the conditions. The stormy weather will result in some ‘quite nasty travelling conditions’, forecasters warned
Engineers monitor the weather at Dawlish train station which is situated on the south coast of Devon as Storm Erik batters many parts of Britain today
Rough conditions are pictured at Brighton pier today. Storm Erik is set to batter parts of Britain with 80mph gales and heavy rain forcing meteorologists to issue ‘danger to life’ warnings
Emergency services were called at 5.30am after the huge tree weighing several tonnes toppled on two cars – an Alfa Romeo and a Hyundai I20 – travelling on the storm-lashed A384 near to the Dartbridge Inn at Buckfastleigh