London :Britains worst storm in years, St Jude, has struck with gusto leaving around 220,000 homes without power and 130 flights cancelled at Heathrow, one of the busiest airports in the world.
British Met Office said winds up to 159 kmph were recorded as hurricane-force winds battered parts of England and Wales last night, forcing UKs Environment Agency to issue 152 flood alerts across the country.
Rail services across much of southern Britain were cancelled for the morning rush hour and traffic chaos was expected on the roads as a result of felled trees and electricity poles. One-in-five early morning flights from Heathrow were cancelled with disruption expected at other airports across the UK as well.
Chief forecaster at the Met Office Martin Young said, “While this is a major storm for the UK, We donot currently expect winds to be as strong as those seen in the Great Storm of 1987 or the Burns Day storm of 1990.” This years storm has been named St.Jude after the patron saint of lost causes, whose feast day is on Monday.
