Man dies after tree falls on car as storm hits UK

A man was killed when a tree fell on his car as Storm Bart brought strong winds, rain and snow and caused chaos across the UK.

Hampshire Police say a man in his 60s has died after his car was hit by a tree on the A34 near Winchester in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Road, rail and air passengers have all suffered delays and cancellations, and thousands of homes remain without power.

Yellow weather warnings for rain and wind are in place across the UK, with dozens of flood warnings in place in England, Wales and Scotland. Meteorologists describe this as a multi-hazard storm.

Many A-roads in England were closed due to snowfall, and many railway companies, including Northern Railway and Avanti West Coast, were forced to cancel dozens of services.

On Saturday, two other people died in crashes on roads during rough weather, one in West Yorkshire and the other in Northamptonshire, but whether they were directly linked to the rough weather remains unclear. is unknown.

A major search and rescue operation was launched in Sidmouth, Devon, after members of the public spotted an object in the river.

A number of flights were delayed at Newcastle and Leeds Bradford airports, but both airports later announced they were operating normally.

Highways has issued a severe weather warning for snow on roads across Yorkshire and the north-east of England in anticipation of blizzard conditions, saying the snow will “accumulate rapidly at all levels”.

Scotland was hit with heavier-than-expected snow on Saturday, causing long traffic jams and multiple road closures.

Lothian buses have suspended all 70 routes in Edinburgh and the surrounding area, and ScotRail services have suffered delays and cancellations.

The Queensferry Crossing across the Firth of Forth has been closed due to fears of ice floes.

Many Scottish football matches were also affected.

Rangers' afternoon kick-off against Dundee United was postponed by 45 minutes due to travel issues, and at least two Scottish Championship games were called off completely.

For many, the threat of disruption is not over yet, although it was previously snowy and rainy.

Tim Robertson, 58, from Coniston Waterhead, Cumbria, sent footage to the BBC showing roads in the area flooded with snow that fell overnight and quickly melted.

“We woke up in the morning and there was about 4 inches of snow,” he said. “Since then, the snow has melted, it has rained, and the amount of water has increased.

“We went for a walk in the woods and when we came back, that particular road was flooded. Cars were still on it. I don't know how smart that was.”

Some roads have since been cleared, he added.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, a total of 49 flood warnings were in place across England, mainly in the north-west, and 160 in the south-west, midlands and north-west.

As of 7pm AEST on Saturday, National Grid said 1,186 homes were without power in Wales and 819 in south-west England, both figures down from earlier in the day.

Up to 150mm of rain is expected to fall in the worst-hit areas of south Wales on Saturday, equivalent to the average daily rainfall for the entire month of November.

Natural Resources Wales said there was flooding in low-lying land in parts of Carmarthenshire near the River Loughr, and that it expected river levels to rise and land to be inundated.

Five adults and five children were rescued from a house hit by a landslide in Denbighshire, north Wales.

There are 16 flood warnings and 51 flood warnings in place across the country.

Winds from Storm Bart increased on Saturday morning, with maximum winds of 132mph at Capel Curig (Conwy) and 115mph at the Needles, an exposed area on the western tip of the Isle of Wight.

In Scotland, there was a snowstorm in the Cairngorm Mountains, with winds of up to 165mph.

Strong winds also forced the closure of the Severn Bridge, which connects Gloucestershire with south Wales.

Ferry companies were also affected. Operator CalMac, which serves the west coast of Scotland, has canceled several flights, P&O Ferries has canceled one service and Irish Ferries has canceled a number of ferries to Wales.

The charity that manages London's royal parks, including Hype Park and Kensington Gardens, said all eight parks would be closed on Sunday and their openings on Monday would be delayed due to concerns about severe wind gusts.

Areas of Ireland have also been affected by flooding, with the western part of the country appearing to be the hardest hit.

At one point, 60,000 customers nationwide suffered a power outage.