Rain and Wind Batter English Coast

Cross-posted from THE ENVIRONMENTALIST

The British Met Office has issued flood alerts for the entire Devon and Cornwall coast amidst a storm that has reached the west of England and Wales and is expected to impact much of the U.K. over the next two days.

STORM WARNINGS

Storm warnings have been issued for the areas coloured in red on the map (map at this link).

Rain and fierce winds are hitting parts of the UK, as what could be winter’s worst storm moves in from the Atlantic.

Emergency services said trees had been uprooted and power lines brought down in south-west England, where winds have reached almost 80mph (130km/h). Severe flood warnings have been issued for the Devon and Cornwall coast. In St Brides, Newport, 170 people were told to evacuate a caravan park overnight.

Meanwhile, forecasters say central Scotland will see blizzards and snow.

The BBC has put together a satellite slide show of the approaching storm. Warnings have been issued by the Environment Agency to stay away from exposed coastline and to watch for floods in the effected areas…

This storm has the same pattern as Tropical Storm Emma that just pummeled Europe — a storm that began in America and made its way over the North Atlantic with its full force (forcings) intact.  The second in a series that may (or may not) be related to the current El Nina effect and/or [exacerbated] by climate change.

More at this link.