Live Blog: 'Do not travel' warning issued as Sheffield is battered by storm

A clean-up operation has been mounted around Meadowhall this morning after flooding yesterday.

The Sheffield shopping centre was not affected by flooding and is open as normal today, but some roads and paths near the River Don, which runs past Meadowhall, were under water yesterday.

Workmen have been cleaning up silt and debris from the areas affected by flooding yesterday.

Read more here.

These are the most serious incidents reported to South Yorkshire Police yesterday, as severe weather wreaked havoc across the county.

After a freak gust of wind in Doncaster yesterday afternoon, two properties in Thorne had their roofs ripped off and a third had its gable-end blown off, in what has been described as a ‘mini tornado.’

South Yorkshire Fire, which declared a major incident, said it affected around 100 houses in the area and around Medlar Court, Southend Road and Southfield Road.

Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

Read more here

Hurricane force winds of 85mph have been recorded at a weather station near Sheffield as stormy weather continues to batter the city.

A spokesperson for the Met Office said a ‘gust of 74 knots’ which is the equivalent of 85mph was recorded on Friday, February 18, at the Emley Moor station.

The weather station, which is between Huddersfield and Wakefield, is the closest one to Sheffield.

But the spokesperson cautioned: “Bear in mind that although these are fast enough to be ‘hurricane force’ winds, it doesn’t make Storm Eunice a hurricane, which is a specific kind of tropical storm.”

South Yorkshire has been hit by three named storms in the last week or so – Dudley, Eunice and Franklin.

Read more here.

Dramatic videos have shown the extent of flooding in a Derbyshire Dales town as Storm Franklin brings further chaos to the region.

This video of Matlock this morning, taken by Coworking Corner Matlock, was posted on Twitter.

The co-working space venture said: “Please stay safe out there today. Our hearts go out to all our friends and local businesses in Matlock struggling through this.”

Derbyshire Dales District Council also urged people to stay safe.

Watch the videos here.

A businessman has told how close his premises beside the River Sheaf in Sheffield came to being flooded.

Firma-Chrome Surface Engineering is located beside the River Sheaf on Saxon Road in Lowfield, Sheffield, where a flood warning was issued on Sunday night and remained in place this morning.

Its managing director Phil Marsden told how he lives in Chesterfield but had driven to the plant on Sunday evening after being alerted by a collegue about the flood warning.

He arrived at around 7pm to find water gushing past the back of the building just one foot below the floor level.

Read more here.

A dad-of-two has spoken of the terrifying moment his whole house shook after a freak tornado smashed through homes and gardens in Doncaster.

Matthew Daniels said the destructive gust which wrecked homes in Thorne yesterday afternoon sounded like ‘a jet engine starting up’ – and caused chaos as it tore through the area in a matter of seconds.

Mr Daniels, who was at home with his wife and two children when the tornado struck at around 3.30pm yesterday, said: “It was definitely a tornado, I’ve never heard a sound like that in my life.

“The sound was like a jet engine starting up – then you could hear all the debris outside smashing into the cars and pavement.”

Read more about his experience here.

Meadowhall bosses have confirmed that Meadowhall is open as normal from 10am today.

The shopping centre deployed its flood defences as a precaution yesterday when the River Don threatened to breach its banks yesterday.

There was some flooding and nearby roads were under water but the shopping centre was not affected.

Read more here.

After being battered by storms Dudley, Eunice, and Franklin, the weather in Sheffield will be calmer today, though strong winds are still to be expected.

A yellow weather warning is still in place for much of the UK today, including Sheffield, after the city was badly affected by heavy rain and high winds last week.

Today, calmer weather will prevail, with a low chance of rain, wind speeds under 40mph for most of the day, and temperatures rising up to 10 degrees.

Last week, storm Eunice led to two red weather warning being put in place across the UK and blew a hole in the roof of London’s O2 Arena.

Find out more about the hourly forecast here.

This is the scary moment a ‘mini-tornado’ wreaked havoc, trashing 100 homes and gardens in Doncaster.

The freak winds brought chaos to Thorne yesterday afternoon, ripping homes open to the elements, raining tiles down onto cars and gardens and sending trampolines and garden furniture scattering while trees were also brought down.

CCTV captures the exact moment the ferocious winds tore through a garden, sending children’s play equipment through the air.

Watch the video here.