Storm Ciarán: Live Portsmouth updates as several areas flooded and major incident updated
Flooding and road closures have hit the surrounding area as Storm Ciarán continues to pass over Portsmouth.
Flooding has been seen around Southsea, the area around the A3023, Church Road and Manor Road in Hayling Island, and elsewhere.
The Met Office issued an amber weather warning for Storm Ciarán, upgraded from yellow, earlier this week. The forecaster has now updated the warning, with it now hitting the very South East of the country.
Over Portsmouth, there are two yellow weather warnings for wind and rain. The wind warning is in place until 5pm and the rain warning is live until midnight.
NOW READ: When will Storm Ciarán hit Portsmouth
The Environment Agency declared a major incident across Hampshire and the south coast, issuing 54 flood warnings in the area. The Hampshire Isle of Wight Local Resilience Forum have now downgraded the major incident response across the region.
Damage was caused to Southsea Promenade, with a number of concrete slabs coming out of place. Footage from the scene shows the material strewn across the seafront and beach.
Trees have also fallen due to high winds. Pictures of some of the damage caused by Storm Ciarán can be found here.
The Alexandra Park fireworks display was cancelled for safety reasons yesterday. The Southsea Common extravaganza went ahead. Schools in Portsmouth, Gosport, Fareham, Portchester and elsewhere have announced that they will close for the day.
South Western Railway are running an amended timetable. Wightlink and Brittany Ferries have both cancelled several sailings due to blustery conditions, with Hovertravel stating that cancellations tomorrow are likely.
The Met Office said “strong and potentially disruptive winds associated with Storm Ciarán are possible until late afternoon”. They added: “Storm Ciarán is likely to bring a spell of strong winds to southern parts of the UK.
"Winds are likely to gust to around 50mph in places inland, but perhaps 60 to 65 mph in a few exposed locations, mainly coasts and hills. Very large waves could bring additional impacts to coastal areas. Winds will gradually ease from the west later in the afternoon and through the evening.”
You can follow live updates regarding Storm Ciarán by scrolling to the bottom of this article.