Trois people were struck by fallen trees during Storm Arwen, which whipped parts of the UK with 100 mph winds. Nearly 250,000 homes went without power as a result.
As forecasters predicted that the mercury would drop below zero on Sunday, gales, snow, and freezing temperatures caused havoc throughout the country. This led to damage to roads and trains, and even closures.
A’much loved’ head teacher at Antrim primary school was among the victims of this storm. His car was hit by a tree and he was instantly killed.
Francis Lagan was a father to four children in his 40s and headed St Mary’s Primary School, Londonderry. His wife and their children were on the road when strong winds uprooted a large tree which had struck their car.
Michelle McIlveen from Stormont was the minister for education and paid tribute to Mr Lagan last evening, calling him ‘dedicated’ and ‘passionate’.
Martina Bradley was the St Mary’s assistant head and wrote this on the school website: “It is with great sadness and pain…that I must inform you about the untimely passing of our beloved principal, Mr Lagan. His gentle spirit may rest in peace.
As Storm Arwen battered parts of the UK, causing 100mph winds to batter some areas, three people died from falling trees. Nearly 250,000 households were left without power yesterday night. Pictured: High winds wreak havoc on the roads of Somerset
Unnamed men died at Ambleside, Cumbria in the same circumstances. A 35-year old man was also killed in an accident involving a tree as he drove through Aberdeenshire.
Dozens of holiday homes trashed and flipped over from strong winds in Dene Caravan Park in Hartlepool, County Durham
According to the Met Office, temperatures will drop until Monday in the North-East, West Midlands, Yorkshire and East Midlands.
St Patrick’s College Maghera said in a post on social media that Mr Lagan had been a student at the college in the 1990s.
The death of an unidentified male in similar circumstances occurred at Ambleside in Cumbria. Meanwhile, a man aged 35 was hit by a tree as he drove through Aberdeenshire.
High winds ripped the shelter’s roof in Llanelli (Carmarthenshire), resulting in the death of a puppy. Cairnwell in Scotland, Highlands saw winds up to 117mph. Meanwhile, snowstorms hit the South-West and Midlands.
North East coastguards recorded waves up to 26ft at beaches. They warned that no selfie was worth taking.
The Peak District saw lines of abandoned cars running along Snake Pass in the snow, which rises almost 1,700 feet to the Pennines. A portion of M62 close to Rochdale was shut down, and 120 trucks were stuck in snow by one person.
Yesterday, all Avanti West Coast trains north of Carlisle were cancelled. South Western Railway also warned travelers about’multiple obstructions and trees blocking the railway.
After a barn was blown onto the railway line near Polmont (near Falkirk), trains between Glasgow and Edinburgh were delayed.
After a Met Office severe storm warning, huge waves batter Hartlepool’s seawall as Storm Arwen blows across the UK
A truck has been left abandoned on the A635 at Greenfield, Saddleworth. This is after Storm Arwen brought down snow in the UK.
A car in Hanbury Road was crushed by a tree after storm Arwen.
Storm Arwen forces the evacuation of Crimden Dene Caravan Park, Hartlepool County Durham. Strong winds led to the destruction and flipping of dozens of holiday houses.
Aberdeenshire train passengers were trapped on the train for over 17 hours while gale force winds battered northern Scotland.
Northern Powergrid reported that heavy gales have caused severe power disruptions for 55,000 North East customers. Meanwhile, 88,000 South-West customers still had no power in the Midlands and Cheshire.
Over 100,000 houses in Scotland were without power, and Northern Ireland was also affected. Many people were powerless throughout the day, as engineers tried to deal with the large number of emergency calls.
Following Friday night’s heavy snowfalls, 20 people had to retreat to the highest pub in Britain. The Tan Hill Inn, 1,732ft high in the Yorkshire Dales was buried under 3ft. The pub was home to 60 guests.
The 20 guests who did not plan to spend the night in the pub had their beds set up in its lounge.
Yesterday morning, the Met Office released a rare warning in red for people who are at risk of their lives on Friday night. It expired yesterday. However, the Met Office issued a rare red ‘danger to life’ warning for Friday night. It was canceled yesterday morning. Yellow and amber wind warnings remained in effect across large areas of the country.
The warning also stated that temperatures could drop to -6C in the North-East and North-West. The North may see temperatures drop to -6C (21.1F).
Michael Owen, a former England football player shared a photo on social media showing uprooted trees blocking his road. He captioned it: “Looks like we won’t go anywhere for awhile.”
The storm that decimated a Gateshead Christmas attraction, which was on the oldest railroad in the world, caused damage to the station. The destruction of the North Pole Express attraction caused Tanfield Railway volunteers to become ‘devastated.’
William Hill Bookmaker reduced odds that a white Christmas would occur to just 4/1 in Birmingham, and 6/1 for London.