Hurricane Isha puts Great Britain and Ireland on alert. Millions face transport disruptions
The British Metrological Service, Met Office, has issued orange weather warnings for Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and most parts of England, except London and the East England region.
Weather warnings issued for Great Britain and Ireland
These warnings will be in effect from 1 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday until 1 a.m. on Monday. Concurrently, yellow warnings related to heavy rainfall will be put into effect across large regions of Scotland, Wales, and the north of England.
Meanwhile, a yellow warning due to strong winds is already in effect throughout the Republic of Ireland. This yellow warning will be upgraded to an orange one on Sunday late afternoon across most of the country. A red warning will be issued in the western and northern counties of Galway, Mayo, and Donegal.
An orange warning indicates a high probability of disruptions to the power supply and telephone network operations. Potential damages include building structures, fallen trees due to high winds, and downed high-voltage lines. Disruptions to traffic, rail, air, and ferry transport are also anticipated. There's a potential risk to life from objects displacing due to gusting winds.
A red warning indicates that all the aforementioned events are highly likely and immediate action should be taken for one's safety amid these weather phenomena. Crucially, travel should be avoided unless it's absolutely necessary.
Transport disruption in Great Britain
"Independent" reports that several flights and ferry journeys have been cancelled due to the hurricane and related weather warnings. Rail services also discourage using their services, stating that train speeds will be reduced. The reported disruptions are expected to affect the plans of "millions of travellers".
ScotRail, the Scottish railway operator, has cancelled numerous planned journeys around Edinburgh and Glasgow. The journeys that do take place will be slower than usual.
Similarly, British Airways has cancelled 26 domestic and European flights from London Heathrow Airport, including flights to Berlin, Lisbon, Frankfurt, and Milan. Ryanair is warning of potential travel "disruptions", as is Loganair.
Hurricane Isha sweeps over Great Britain and Ireland
Hurricane Isha is the eighth hurricane to approach the British Isles since the storm season started in September. It's wind speed may reach up to 81 mph during its passage.
Hurricane Isha is distinguished by the extensive area it covers. According to the Met Office, it's more common for hurricanes to pass through the northwestern or southern regions of Great Britain. However, in the case of Hurricane Isha, which will make landfall later Sunday evening into Monday, the entire region of Great Britain is under warning.
Ellie Glaisyer from the Met Office emphasized the rarity of this phenomenon. Almost all regions of Great Britain and Ireland have received warnings - mostly orange, but some red - due to the approaching Hurricane Isha. Meteorologists stress that warnings are uncommon to be issued across such a vast area simultaneously.
