Some schools close and weather warnings issued as Storm Austen arrives
WATCH: Part of Brighton's iconic West Pier collapses due to waves caused by Storm Austen
- Published
Areas of the UK are facing powerful winds and heavy rain as Storm Austen moves across the country.
Children in parts of the UK woke up to find their school closed or opening later than usual because of the storm.
The strongest winds have been felt in south-west England, where there is travel disruption, power cuts and damage to trees and buildings.
In Brighton, a section of the iconic West Pier has collapsed into the sea after large waves battered it.
More than 18,000 homes in Wales, Cornwall, Devon and parts of England have been affected by power cuts caused by the stormy weather.
Great Western Railway (GWR) says speed limits will be in place on routes between the two south-west counties and there is disruption to several train lines because of fallen trees.
Network Rail Scotland says trains will be slowed down along parts of the West and East coast main lines.
The Met Office which monitors UK weather, issued an amber weather warning for Cornwall and parts of Devon on Friday morning, which has now passed.
A less severe yellow weather warning is also in place, across much of England and Wales, with winds of 45 to 60mph expected. Parts of Scotland, including Glasgow and Edinburgh, are covered by a separate yellow warning.
The Met Office which monitors UK weather, has issued an amber weather warning for Cornwall and parts of Devon. A less severe yellow weather warning is also in place, across much of England and Wales
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Storm Austen: School closures
Dozens of schools in Cornwall have either closed for the day or delayed opening until later on Friday morning. Cornwall Council advised families to check directly with their school before travelling.
The biggest impact on schools has been on the Channel Islands - a group of small islands between England and France - where all Government of Jersey schools and colleges have been closed for the day.
Schools in Guernsey were also advised to close because of the strong winds at times when pupils would be travelling to school.
JerseyMet which monitors weather for the Channel Islands also issued a red warning for wind.
Schools across the Channel Islands of Guernsey and Jersey have been shut because of the very strong winds and stormy weather
Storm Boelo: Another storm on the way
More wet and windy weather forecast for the weekend
Storm Austen will not be the end of the stormy weather. Storm Boelo is expected to arrive over the weekend, bringing more wet and windy conditions across the UK.
The Met Office has issued amber wind warnings for Scotland, and yellow for Northern Ireland and northern England. Wind gusts could reach 50 to 65mph in many places and up to 80mph in more exposed areas.
Adults driving may face difficult conditions because of standing water on roads and spray thrown up by vehicles.
Poor driving conditions are often huge causes for disruption, and public transport could also be affected.
BBC weather presenter Chris Fawkes explains: "It is not unusual to get storms one after another - in fact they quite often arrive in clusters."
One reason is a powerful ribbon of fast-moving air high above the Earth called the jet stream. The jet stream can travel at hundreds of miles per hour. It forms where warm and cold air meet and helps steer weather systems across the Atlantic Ocean.
“A strong jet stream is needed to rapidly develop powerful wind storms,” says Chris.
