British woman, 85, killed after Storm Claudia hits campsite in Portugal
An 85-year-old British woman died in Portugal after storm Claudia hit a holiday campsite in the south of the country.
The Algarve’s regional commander identified the woman and said dozens of people were injured in the area after “extreme winds” hit the region.
According to media reports, the woman was initially reported missing at a campsite but was later found dead.
Portuguese prime minister Luis Montenegro expressed his “sincerest condolences” to the family of the unnamed woman. He said authorities responded “with full determination and as quickly as possible” but that “serious consequences cannot be avoided”.
The storm, named by the Spanish meteorological service, hit England on Friday, causing devastating floods in Monmouthshire in South Wales, where a major incident was declared.
Dozens of people have been rescued or evacuated in the town of Monmouth following severe flooding caused by the Monnow River overflowing its banks.
The Natural Resources Wales rain gauge at Tafalog in Gwent, south-east Wales, recorded around 119.6mm of rainfall in the 12 hours to 6am on Saturday morning, while 80.6mm of rainfall was recorded in Suckley, Worcestershire, during the same period, the Met Office said.
The Environment Agency also issued 86 flood warnings and 190 flood alerts in England by 10am on Saturday.
As well as heavy rain and fast-flowing floodwaters, punishing winds also hit north-west Wales and north-west England during Storm Claudia, including 63 mph recorded at Aberdaron in Gwynedd and 68 mph recorded in the Warcop Ranges in Cumbria.
In a statement, the Welsh Government said: “Storm Claudia caused significant flooding in parts of Wales overnight, which continues to impact homes, businesses, transport and energy infrastructure.
“If you are affected, please follow official advice from North Rhine-Westphalia (Natural Resources Wales), the emergency services and your local authority.”
Peter Fox, the Welsh Conservative Member for the Monmouth Senedd, described the situation in the area as “extremely bad”.
He said: “Personally I haven’t seen it this bad in probably 40 years, certainly not since the defenses were put up at Monmouth.”
Monmouthshire County Council, which reported a number of road closures, told people they should avoid trying to enter the town or making unnecessary journeys due to the “severity of the flooding” and the ongoing operation.
National Rail also told passengers in England and Wales to check before traveling as some services were disrupted.
Showers will be replaced by cold weather next week, bringing frost and snow across the UK as Arctic winds cause temperatures to drop.
“It’s definitely going to be a lot colder over the next few days, an 8 to 10 degree drop in temperature, you’re going to struggle to get double figures,” Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge said. Independent.
“We will likely see the first widespread frost across the country on Monday morning, with low temperatures between -5C and -7C.”
“There is a small area of low pressure on Tuesday that will bring rain, sleet and snowfall on the hills,” he added.
This is likely to hit northern parts of the UK, such as Scotland and parts of the Pennines, he explained.
However, as on Wednesday and Thursday, northerly winds will be stronger, which could cause snowfall in Scotland, the North Sea coast, the North York Moors and possibly Wales and even Dartmoor.
The UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) has issued a cold weather warning for the Midlands and parts of northern England from Monday, and the Environment Agency has warned that flooding will continue through the weekend.
