Storm Dennis: Man dies in sea off Kent as Met Office issues new 'high impact' weather warning
Storm Dennis was forecast to cause widespread disruption across the UK as the country battened down its hatches for the second stormy weekend in a row.
Multiple severe weather warnings for heavy rain and strong winds were issued by the Met Office as deep floodwater threatened “danger to life”.
Flights were grounded for safety reasons, with British Airways and easyJet confirming cancellations. Passengers were advised to check their airline’s website for latest updates.
Flights will be grounded on Saturday for safety reasons as winds are forecast to reach 70mph along coastlines, while some parts of the country could get up to 4.7 inches of rain.
EasyJet has cancelled over 230 flights in and out of the UK on Saturday.
A spokeswoman for easyJet said: "Due to forecasted adverse weather conditions caused by Storm Dennis, easyJet, like other airlines, is currently seeing disruption to its flight programme for Saturday February 15th.
"We are doing everything possible to minimise the impact of the disruption for our customers and to arrange alternative travel. Customers on cancelled flights have been given the option of transferring their flight free of charge or receiving a refund. We will also provide hotel rooms and meals for customers who require them.
British Airways has also confirmed cancellations, and a spokesman for the airline said: "The majority of our flights are planned to operate as planned, but, like all airines flying to and from the UK today, we are experiencing some disruption due to the stormy weather conditions.
"We are merging a small number of Heathrow short-haul flights to the same destination and using larger aircraft where possible to minimise disruption."
Military personnel and troops will be deployed to assist in preparations for Storm Dennis in the Calder Valley in West Yorkshire, said Calderdale Council.
They will join workers and volunteers in supporting flood recovery efforts in the area, which was severely affected by flooding during Storm Ciara last weekend.
Council leader Tim Swift said: "The presence of Army officers in Calderdale will be a reassuring sight for the many residents and businesses who are still recovering from Storm Ciara and preparing for Storm Dennis.
"Council staff, partners, volunteers and community groups have worked tirelessly all week and will continue to work around the clock for as long as necessary to help keep people safe and to manage the flood risk.
"This extra and expert resource couldn't be more welcome to support already exhausted communities and help us respond to further weather warnings across Calderdale."
Storm Dennis is forecast to bring heavy rain across the Pennines, leaving towns like Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd in the Calder valley at risk of further flooding.
John Curtin, Executive Director of Flood and Coastal Risk Management at the Environment Agency, said the flood risks posed by Storm Dennis will arrive in phases across different parts of the country.
According to a graphic he tweeted, northern and northwest parts of England including Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, and Yorkshire will be hit by heavy rains and flooding first from Saturday afternoon well into Monday afternoon.
They will be followed by parts of London and southwest England, which will see larger flood impacts on Sunday. The west and east Midlands is also at risk for flooding from the early hours of Sunday.
At least 4,000 passengers have been affected by easyJet flight cancellations, wrecking half-term getaways.
Most of the affected flights are at the airline’s main base, Gatwick. Almost 100 departures and arrivals have been deleted from the destination boards, including multiple departures to Geneva, Barcelona and Faro in Portugal
Luton is next worst affected, with 16 ski flights – to Geneva, Grenoble and Lyon – making up one third of the 48 cancellations.
A British man named Storm Denniss said he has been inundated with messages from online trolls angry about the incoming Storm Dennis.
Mr Denniss, 24, said he received over 50 messages on Facebook begging him not to wreak havoc since the actual storm was named the same name on Tuesday.
One message read: "Alright mate, not being funny but if your [sic] planning on blowing s*** around my town this week you better think twice!" Storm Denniss, 24, is a furniture maker from Whitby (SWNS)Another said: "Hey storm dennis don't be showing your face at the weekend I don't want to be blown over and be rolling down hill like sonic the hedgehog."
The furniture maker from Whitby is taking the messages in jest and said his family also made jokes about the storm having the same name as him.
"People are definitely messaging me in a light-hearted way and I will get more because the storm has not even started yet," said Mr Denniss.
"I've had loads of messages from people calling me names. I just sit there scrolling through it and find it hilarious. I know people aren't being serious and are just having a laugh.
"It's cool to have a storm named after me to be honest. I have joked that I want it to be a storm to remember now it has my name to it."
He added: "I imagine if it does cause damage then it'll only get worse too. I am concerned about how much damage it will cause and I do hope it won't be too bad."
Storm Dennis is expected to bring a month's worth of rainfall to the UK in just 24 hours when it hits.
Met Office forecasters are most worried about damage caused by heavy rain as Storm Dennis sweeps in.
Northwest England is likely to be among the worst affected areas, as grounds saturated with rainwater from Storm Ciara will flood again at a faster rate.
A Met Office forecaster told the Independent: "Rivers will respond much faster this week than they did last week. Rainfall will have a quicker effect unfortunately."
A traffic camera in Wales has taken a "battering" due to high winds from Storm Dennis, video footage shows.
Traffic Wales, the Welsh Government's traffic information service, said: "We are currently on standby for severe disruption including road closures, delays, diversions, fallen trees, debris and flooding."
Numerous football and rugby matches across the UK have been cancelled or postponed due to already-waterlogged pitches.
Storm Dennis is expected to dump a month's worth of rain in 24 hours, creating dangerous conditions on roads and pitches.
Fast flowing or deep floodwater is likely, warned the Met Office as it issued a number of severe weather warnings for rain and wind throughout the country.
Last weekend, Storm Ciara blew a stand in Wisbech Town away and flooded the Harry Riverside Stadium so badly it resembled a lake, reported The Non-League Football Paper.
A schoolteacher had an unexpected visitor thanks to Storm Dennis when she discovered a fish on the roof of her car after driving through rain on Saturday morning.
Miss Sheridan of Blackmoor Park Junior School told the Independent: "I just drove home through the rain this morning and it was on the roof of my car? No idea how it got there but definitely not a pet!
"I can only think a sea bird or rain carried it but the latter seems impossible surely?"
It said: "Spells of heavy and prolonged rain are expected to affect parts of England and Wales over the weekend with higher likelihood of impacts now expected in some areas.
"Around 20-40mm of rain will fall widely with 50-80mm likely across parts of northern and southern England., This rain is expected to fall across areas already wet from recent rainfall."
In a separate warning covering Swansea and Cardiff, the Met Office said: "Prolonged, heavy rain is expected leading to 60-80mm rain widely whilst in a few places 100-120mm is possible."
An urgent search has been launched for a man in the sea near Margate Harbour, with a Royal Navy warship dispatched to help in the search.
HM Coastguard said lifeboats and the coastguard helicopter are involved in the search after reports of a man overboard.
A distress call believed to have originated from B Gas Margrethe, a 99-metre Maltese tanker anchored off the coast of Margate, was received by the coastguard at 5.41am Saturday and an extensive search of the area commenced.
A coastguard spokesman said: "RNLI lifeboats from Ramsgate and Margate have been sent, along with the search and rescue helicopter from Lydd.
"A police RHIB is also on scene. HM Coastguard broadcast a relay to vessels in the area, and a Royal Navy vessel is assisting."
Sixty-gun frigate HMS Winchester is believed to have responded to a relay call and is in the area, according to ship tracking data.
Huge waves have battered the harbour wall at Porthcawl, Wales, as people gathered to watch the spectacle.
Dramatic photos show the waves crashing high above the wall, after the Met Office issued a new "high impact warning" in Wales.
28 ft waves are reportedly expected on the south-west and north-west coasts, bigger than waves whipped up by Storm Ciara last weekend. People watch waves and rough seas pound against the harbour wall at Porthcawl, Wales (PA)
Drivers are being warned of dangerous conditions on the road after emergency services in Cornwall responded to a motorist trapped in flood waters.
The Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said it rescued a person who was trapped in their vehicle after driving into floor water and removed the car from the water.
