Storm Gerrit Slams the U.K. with Flooding, Snow & Wind

Above - Network Rail Security Camera at Horsforth showing flooding impacting rail line. Photo credit: @northernassist

Storm Gerrit hit the United Kingdom on Wednesday, producing heavy snow and flooding across Scotland and England. The powerful storm has also lead to thousands of outages across Scotland and England. Major flooding disrupted train lines in England and Scotland due to damaged and impassable tracks (above). Delays are expected into Thursday due to damage to tracks and necessary inspections.

According to the meteorological service in the U.K., river flood warnings are in effect for many areas in England after heavy rainfall has led to fast-rushing water. At the height of the storm there were over 130 flood alerts in place. The Scottish environmental agency, SEPA, has also issued several flood warnings across the country. Animals and people had to be rescued from this small community about 45 minutes outside Edinburgh, Scotland on Wednesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, it was cold enough to produce blizzard-like conditions and heavy snowfall along road A9 in Scotland, which stranded cars and caused numerous accidents according to local media.

Strong winds also produced large waves along the English coast, battering the coastal community of Cornwall. Numerous parks around the city of London were also closed due to high winds.