Highlights
- Nearly 200 flights in and out of the UK cancelled or delayed on Sunday
- Amber warnings in force for much of the British Isles
- The Met Office predicts damage to buildings, power cuts and flying debris
- Isolated tornadoes could develop due to the chaotic weather system
- Wind gusts of up to 80mph could batter much of the country
- 26 flood warnings are in place, 28-foot-high waves could hit the coast
- Rail companies have urged passengers not to travel
Storm Ciara has triggered hundreds of flight cancellations in the UK on Sunday, as galeforce winds of up to 80mph (128 km/h) battered much of the UK.
As a result, hundreds of flights have been cancelled, including a Dubai-London Emirates flight, as the brutal storm slammed into Britain with violent gusts.
Ciara is the country's biggest storm in seven years. "Wet and very windy #weather will spread across northern and western areas of the #UK as #StormCiara approaches. Warnings are in force," the Met Office stated tweeted late on Saturday.
"Due to expected severe weather conditions in London this flight (EK029) has been cancelled. We are in the process of rebooking the flights to final destination and will send updated itinerary shortly. Customers can view their updated itinerary on www.emirates.com/MYB," according to Emirates website.
On Sunday, tornado warnings are up and the Met Office issued amber alerts overnight.
Ciara is expected to dump heavy rain, which may lead to flooding in the North while hurricane-force winds are expected to sweep across much of the country.
Flights also disrupted in and out of Gatwick, Glasgow, Manchester and Liverpool airports, according to British media.
Up to four inches of snow is expected in parts of Britain as Storm Ciara brings blizzard conditions to the UK.
Wet and very windy #weather will spread across northern and western areas of the #UK as #StormCiara approaches. Warnings are in force
The low-pressure system developed in the North Atlantic and headed eastwards towards the country over the weekend.
