Storm Noa leaves homes without power as 120kph winds batter UK

A 154kph gust was recorded at The Needles on the Isle of Wight

The seafront on April 12 in Brighton, England, as Storm Noa hit. Getty

Storm Noa brought 120kph gusts across the UK on Wednesday, leaving hundreds of properties without power and bringing down trees across roads and train tracks.

Named Storm Noa by Meteo France, the band of wintery weather swept across the country on Wednesday causing travel delays in southern England and Wales.

Southern, Thameslink and Great Western Rail services reported delays or cancellations.

South Western Railway said train services across the whole of its network may be cancelled or delayed because of high winds, with disruption expected until 10pm.

Major motorways were also closed, including two sections of the M4 in Wales and the M48 Severn Bridge, where National Highways reported gusts of 109kph.

In Brighton, the Coastguard, RNLI and police are carrying out a search and rescue operation for somebody possibly in the water near to the Palace Pier.

The Coastguard helicopter has been seen sweeping the area in the ongoing search.

“HM Coastguard’s Newhaven, Littlehampton and Shoreham Coastguard Rescue Teams, alongside Shoreham and Newhaven RNLI all-weather lifeboats, Sussex Police and the Coastguard helicopter from Lee-On-Solent are coordinating a search for a possible person in the water at Brighton Palace Pier, following concerns first raised to emergency services shortly before 4pm," a Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokeswoman said.

In Fareham, Hampshire, a woman has been reported to have been seriously injured after scaffolding fell on to a main shopping street.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service assisted the woman following the incident in West Street at about 1.45pm before she was passed to the care of paramedics, according to the BBC.

Coastal areas in the south-west were worst hit, with the National Grid reporting in the afternoon that 268 properties in Devon and 43 in Cornwall were without power.

A 154kph gust — the strongest in the UK — was recorded by the Met Office at The Needles on the Isle of Wight.

“In addition to the strong winds, we’ve seen heavy showers and thunderstorms relatively widely through England and Wales this afternoon, particularly in south-east England and East Anglia," said Tom Morgan, a meteorologist at the Met Office.

“We’ve also seen snow across the higher ground of Wales in the Pennines, and across the Scottish Highlands.”

Weather warnings issued in the UK - in pictures

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  Waves crash on to the seafront in Blackpool. Storm Dudley hit the north of England and southern Scotland from Wednesday night into Thursday morning. PA

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  A fallen tree on the road in Ross-on-Wye, near England's border with Wales, during Storm Dudley. PA

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  Big waves hit the sea wall at Whitby in Yorkshire. Storm Eunice was expected to bring strong winds and the possibility of snow on Friday. PA

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  An empty departure board at Glasgow Central Station before Storm Dudley hits. PA

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  A man struggles against strong wind in Clontarf, Dublin, as Storm Dudley makes its way over Ireland. PA

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  Weather warnings on a ticket machine at Glasgow Central Station. PA

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  People take advantage of the winds and fly Kites on Scarborough beach in North Yorkshire. PA

Wind and rain sweeping through regions have led to rapid drops in temperature. Rothamsted, Hertfordshire, dropped by 4ºC in an hour.

Scotland also had heavy showers, with western areas experiencing up to 40mm of rain and other areas receiving 20mm.

Temperatures in Scotland remained about 5ºC but will dip to freezing level overnight, particularly in rural areas in the north of the country.

A yellow warning for wind was lifted in Northern Ireland, although some coastal areas experienced winds of 80kph.

“The set up is low-pressure-dominant both in the south-west and in Scotland," Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said.

“Overnight tonight and into Thursday, we are expecting these low-pressure systems to combine and move into the North Sea.

"This will leave behind showers across much of the UK, with winds decreasing throughout the day on Thursday.”

Although the weather system is a named storm in France, it is not classed as such by the Met Office.

The first storm to be named by the Met Office, or Irish or Dutch weather services, this season will still be Storm Antoni, in accordance with the 2022-2023 name list.