A typhoon that battered the U. K. with high winds, heavy snow and rain destroyed homes, canceled trains and left thousands of people across Scotland and parts of northern England.
Workers faced wind speeds of 128 km/h in some coastal areas of Scotland as they tried to restore power that was cut off when falling branches and other debris hit utility lines.
Storm Gerrit also wiped out about 14,000 homes Thursday morning.
Police in Manchester, in northwest England, said they had obtained reports Wednesday night of homes being destroyed by a brief “localised tornado”. Photographs showed roofs of houses ripped off and cars smashed against fallen trees, and citizens reported that grass sheds had been blown away by the wind. .
The UK’s meteorologist, the Met Office, said a “supercell storm” with a “strong rotating updraft” passed over the domain of Greater Manchester on Wednesday night.
Local officials said some 100 properties were evacuated overnight. Greater Manchester Police declared a major incident due to the severity of the damage and potential risk to public safety, though no injuries were reported.
Storm Gerrit has also caused major disruption to rail service across Scotland, where some lines have been suspended until the government can carry out a full inspection of the network. A falling tree hit a train driver’s cab, but no one was injured.
Snow has blocked some roads in Scotland.
Heathrow Airport, the UK’s main hub, cancelled 18 flights on Wednesday due to air traffic control restrictions on domestic routes. Flights to European cities such as Barcelona and Berlin have also been affected.
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