Storm Henk, the first named storm of 2024, unleashed widespread disruption across southern Britain, impacting roads, bridges, and rail lines. This storm, which brought some of the strongest wind speeds in over three decades, caused power cuts to thousands of homes and brought down numerous trees.
The storm’s ferocious winds reached 94 mph at the Needles near the Isle of Wight and 71 mph at Mumbles Head in South Wales.
Exeter airport recorded gusts of 81 mph, the highest since the Burns Day storm of January 25, 1990.
Damage was significant, including the roof of a pedestrian bridge at Okehampton railway station being blown off and part of an entertainment complex roof collapsing onto the Exmouth seafront.
Flooding and strong winds lead to road closures and rail delays throughout Britain.In South-East London, a woman was hospitalized after being struck by a falling tree, though her injuries were not life-threatening.
Heavy rain, totaling 75mm in Devon over 24 hours, exacerbated flooding issues. By Tuesday evening, there were 213 flood warnings and 339 alerts across England, with Wales issuing one severe flood warning and 45 alerts.
The Environment Agency initiated a partial evacuation of the Billing Aquadrome holiday park due to rising River Nene levels.
Flooding caused road closures in Worcestershire, while Warwickshire fire and rescue had to rescue stranded car occupants with an inflatable sled. Reports of raw sewage in floodwaters raised health concerns. In Wales, 34 properties in Burry Port were flooded.
Commuters faced delays at Paddington Station due to a power cut affecting lines between Paddington and Maidenhead.
The Met Office issued an amber severe weather warning for the day, predicting further building damage, travel disruptions, and coastal risks from large waves. The storm, moving north-eastward, caused significant issues across southern England, but more settled weather is expected over the weekend.