Met Office issues new 'disruptive' update on Storm Darragh

Millions of Britons have been warned to brace for further disruption on Sunday with more strong winds expected UK following Storm Darragh.

Parts of the UK may see gusts as strong as 70mph today, potentially leading to challenging driving conditions, temporary power cuts, and public transport issues, the Met Office says.

England and Wales are under a yellow wind warning effective from 6am until 6pm. Meanwhile, an earlier yellow rain alert for Northumberland ended at 9am.

READ MORE: Storm Darragh LIVE updates as Met Office issues UK weather warnings for Sunday

In England, more than 50 flood warnings and over 130 flood alerts were in place on Sunday morning, with the Environment Agency highlighting areas where flooding is expected. Additionally, Natural Resources Wales has put forth nine flood warnings and 20 flood alerts.

Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said: "It’s not quite the calm after the storm, but it is calmer than yesterday, for sure.

"There are still some disruptive winds around because whilst the low that is Storm Darragh has now cleared away towards the south east, tightly-packed isobars across much of the country indicate we do still have some very windy weather to come through today."

Mr Burkilll added: "The strongest gusts will be through this morning around coastal parts, 60-70mph. Inland, 40-50[mph] seems quite likely.

"There will also be some wet weather around, particularly across central and eastern parts of England, some heavier outbreaks of rain for a time. Further west [there is] a greater chance of staying dry, and there will be some sunshine breaking through at times too."

The winds are expected to slowly ease from the north throughout the day, the weather agency says.

National Highways said the M48 Severn Bridge between J1 and J2 and the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge were both still closed due to severe gusts.

Similarly, the A15 Humber Bridge has shut for high-sided and vulnerable vehicles. A video circulating online captures a British Airways plane struggling with the wind on its Heathrow approach.

Rail services are equally impacted; South Western Railway reported delays or service changes in Surrey until Sunday afternoon, resulting from trees on the lines. Passengers were directed to secure taxis to Epsom themselves.

Avanti West Coast confirmed all routes are blocked between Wolverhampton and Stafford because of fallen trees, anticipating disruptions throughout the day. Transport for Wales has temporarily suspended several routes, urging customers to avoid travelling today.

Ferry operator Wightlink announced cancellations for certain Portsmouth to Fishbourne crossings and vice versa. .

Firefighters in the West Midlands responded to over 120 emergency incidents on Saturday and Sunday morning, with more than 700 weather-related calls received. Although temperatures will be near average for this time of year, the persistent winds will make it feel "markedly colder", according to Mr Burkill.

Storm Darragh brought strong gusts of 93mph to some areas on Saturday, resulting in millions being advised to stay indoors, tens of thousands losing power, and train cancellations. Tragically, two men lost their lives on Saturday when trees fell onto their vehicles.

In the West Midlands, a man was killed when a tree hit his car on Silver Birch Road in Erdington on Saturday afternoon. Earlier that day, a man in his 40s died after a tree fell onto his van in Lancashire.

As of Saturday evening, around 259,000 customers across England, Scotland, and Wales were left without power, according to the Energy Networks Association.