Storm Babet live blog: Record high river levels and storm surge

Welcome to day two of our live blog tracking Storm Babet. We'll keep you updated on all the latest developments after overnight flooding and concerns over storm surge.

Stay up to date with conditions on the WeatherRadar.

Officers from West Mercia Police attempted to help the man in the town of Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire, who was reportedly swept away by flowing water from an overflowing brook.

Despite the efforts of the police, the man, believed to be in his 60s, was confirmed to have passed away at 12:35 pm today.

Officials from the airport said that they are working on removing passengers from the plane, all on-board are safe and unharmed.

Winds around Leeds are currently gusting at speeds of over 40 mph as heavy rainfall continues.

Earlier today, a KLM flight attempting to land at Aberdeen Airport was forced to abort its first attempt at landing due to high winds. It later landed on its second attempt.

Suffolk County Council has declared a major incident in the county as Storm Babet forces schools to shut and renders roads impassable.

Although the worst of the impacts are confined to Scotland and northern England, disruption has also hit those in eastern areas. In addition to Suffolk, roads in Norfolk and Cambridgeshire are also seeing issues with trees felled by winds adding to flooding problems.

Meanwhile, Sunderland University say that St. Peter’s campus has closed due to the severe weather, with no access to any students or staff until Monday.

Looking at the WeatherRadar and WindRadar, conditions over eastern Scotland should finally ease into Saturday night after another day of torrential rainfall.

By Sunday evening, Babet finally begins to fully dissipate, though a fresh system makes its way to the south-west of Ireland into the early hours of Monday morning.

Scottish Electricity Networks say that engineers have restored power to more than 24,000 homes across Aberdeenshire, Angus, and Perthshire with a further 4,000 still without power.

Many rail services continue to see journeys cancelled or delayed due to flooding over tracks. Check with your train line for the latest updates if travelling by rail today.

Schools in the north-east of Wales have closed due to Storm Babet. 24 schools are shut in Flintshire while in England some schools are also closed in Swindon, Cheltenham, and across Suffolk.

Comments from the Angus Council representative for Brechin and Edzell Ward suggest that those evacuated from Brechin overnight may not be able to return until after Christmas.

The town’s 3.8 metre high flood defences were breached early this morning and the town itself is now only accessible by boat.

Pictures online also show the force of Storm Babet in the north-east of England, where the dome of the South Shields Lighthouse appears to have been torn off of the structure.

A new red weather warning, indicating a risk to life, over eastern Scotland has issued and will be in force from midnight tonight to midnight Saturday.

An initial red warning expired at midday today, Friday. It comes as parts of Angus, including Brechin, are now only accessible via boat. Despite orders to evacuate on Thursday, emergency services say they have received more than 100 calls from within the evacuation zone.

Council officials in Aberdeenshire say that there are no more sandbags available and that emergency centres are available to those that need them in Inverurie, Kemnay, and Kintore.

A total of 33 flood warnings are in force across Scotland, with 5 severe flood warnings in place indicating flooding is imminent with a danger to life. These predominately cover the route of the River South Esk through Angus.

One severe flood warning is also active for the village of Marykirk, Aberdeenshire. In England, there are currently 157 flood alerts and 74 flood warnings in effect stretched along the country.

For details on alerts in your area check the official Government website, in Scotland, check with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

Travel is severely disrupted with train services across the UK seeing delays, cancellations, and speed restrictions while many roads are impassable due to surface flooding.

In Ireland, where southern areas were harshly hit earlier in the week, officials have said that those affected by flooding can receive financial support of up to €20,000.

Heavy rainfall delivered by Storm Babet continued overnight for much of the UK, with hard-hit Scotland remaining under a rare red weather warning.

At least one person has been confirmed to have passed away due to the severe weather, after the body of a 57-year-old woman was recovered from the Water of Lee in Angus last night.

Weather warnings continue to be in place for areas in the east of Scotland today, with many warnings also in place for the north of England stretching into the Midlands. Northern areas of Ireland and a stretch of the southeast English coast also fall under warnings.

This morning, a RNLI spokesperson said the organisation is very concerned over the risk to life that Babet is posing. It is highly recommended that those in Scotland avoid coastal areas.

The message comes as the Scottish Environment Protection Agency say that river levels could rise by up to five metres, an unprecedented situation.

In Brechin, where residents were evacuated on Thursday, river gauges have been inundated with water and are no longer transmitting data.

Flood defences in the town were breached earlier this morning, with council officials saying the River South Esk was 4.4 metres higher than average.

Heavy rainfall and strong gales continue for many today, particularly in the north of England where Newcastle, Manchester, and Liverpool should expect a deluge persisting throughout Friday.

The strong winds are likely to exacerbate storm surge issues for coastal areas, which will contribute to further flooding.

A brief period of respite will arrive this afternoon for those in eastern Scotland before rainfall resumes overnight into Saturday, with snow also possible over the Highlands.