A man has been found dead after a tree fell on to a caravan during Storm Goretti, as weather warnings have been put in place covering most of the UK for the rest of the weekend.
Devon and Cornwall police said emergency services were called at about 7.35pm on Thursday to the Mawgan area of Helston where work took place on Friday to remove the tree. A man in his 50s was found dead in the caravan. His death is not being treated as suspicious and his next of kin have been informed, police said.
Warnings of snow and ice were issued in Scotland and northern and eastern England on Saturday, while people in Wales, the Midlands and south-western areas of England were warned about icy conditions. In Northern Ireland, there were warnings of heavy rainfall. The warning was set at yellow in each area.
Yellow warnings were also issued in Scotland and northern England – particularly along the Pennines – and a more severe amber warning for snow in the area inland of Aberdeen, Perth and Stirling in Scotland. A yellow warning will remain in place in northern and western Scotland into Monday.
The storm has already brought winds of almost 100mph after forecasters issued a rare red warning for “dangerous, stormy” winds in the south-west.”
About 27,000 properties were without power in the south-west at 9am on Saturday, according to the National Grid’s website, along with about 2,300 in the West Midlands and about 300 in the East Midlands. All power has been restored in Wales.
Downing Street said support was being offered to homes without power. National Rail said services may be disrupted over the weekend across England, Wales and Scotland.
Forecasters said the combination of melting snow and rain would increase the flood risk in the coming days. About 15cm (6in) of snow was recorded at Lake Vyrnwy in Powys and 7cm at Preston Montford in Shropshire as well as Nottingham.
In Scotland, there was 27cm at Altnaharra in Sutherland, 26cm at Loch Glascarnoch and 22cm at Durris in Kincardineshire.
A further 2-5cm of snow is expected accumulate on hills above 100m in some areas, with up to 15cm possible in areas above 300m in parts of central and eastern Scotland, according to the Met Office.
The Met Office has advised those within alert areas to prepare for delays to journeys and to take extra time when travelling to help avoid slips and falls on the ice.
The Met Office meteorologist Annie Shuttleworth said Saturday would get off to a cold start with the risk of “icy stretches” before dry and sunny conditions for some.
“So do take care if you’re travelling this morning,” she said. “Across eastern areas of England, there’ll be a few showers through the day, some of these sleety in nature but for most of us, it will be a dry day and for some there will be some sunshine.
“A large swathe of northern areas of England, southern Scotland, eastern Scotland as well will see plenty of dry and bright weather. If you are heading out there, you will want a few layers because it is another chilly one out there.
“The winds are relatively light, however, so there’s not too much in the way of wind chill, but yes, you’ll certainly want to be wrapping up if you’re heading out this afternoon to enjoy some of that drier weather.”
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