After one of the deadliest storms to hit the UK in decades, energy firms are scrambling to restore electricity to hundreds of thousands of homes.
Storm Eunice killed three people in the United Kingdom on Friday, when strong winds uprooted trees and sent debris into the air. On the Isle of Wight, a gust of 122 mph established a temporary record for England.
More than 200,000 houses remain without electricity, and the transport secretary predicts travel delays for “another day or two”
Grant Shapps went on to say: “Trains are running in the incorrect places, and debris is still being cleaned off our roadways. People catching flights and maybe bottlenecks at ports are likely to make airports extremely congested.”
He said workers worked through the night to restore service to the road and rail networks following the “once in a century” storm.
National Rail has advised that “major disruption” to services is still occurring “across most of Great Britain” with “do not travel” alerts in effect for several routes.
South Western Railway said it expected significant disruption across its network on Saturday, adding that work to clear more than 40 fallen trees that were obstructing its tracks was still underway.
Customers are still being asked to travel only if absolutely necessary by Great Western Railway.
Some lines have reopened, according to the operator, but services are still severely interrupted, and work to clear debris from the rails is ongoing. The travel tickets will be valid until the end of Monday.
On Greater Anglia, several lines have reopened with a limited service, but the operator still advises against traveling on Saturday. Due to fallen trees, the Stansted Express is presently halted till further notice.
The M4 Prince of Wales Bridge and the Humber Bridge have reopened, however the M48 Severn Bridge will remain closed owing to forecasted severe winds.
Flights at Gatwick, Heathrow, and Manchester airports are virtually back to normal, with a busy weekend ahead as people depart for, or return from, half-term holidays.
The Met Office has issued unusual red weather warnings for coastal parts of south-west England and south Wales, as well as south-east England, suggesting a life-threatening situation.
A less-severe yellow wind warning will be in effect for the south coast of England and south Wales until 18:00 GMT on Saturday, while a yellow snow warning will be in effect for areas of northern England until 15:00.
The latest warning, according to the Met Office, may stymie hurricane recovery operations.
On Saturday morning, three flood warnings were still in effect in England.
Large swaths of England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and south-west Scotland are under a yellow wind warning on Sunday, while Lancashire and Cumbria are under a yellow rain warning.