Sheffield weather: Tree narrowly misses car as Storm Malik batters city, with Storm Corrie yet to come

Sheffield Liberal Democrat group leader Shaffaq Mohammed says he and his partner Kurtis Crossland were just seconds from getting crushed by the falling tree on Stoneacre Drive in Owlthorpe, Sheffield, this morning.

It was blown down as strong winds buffeted the city, which is among the areas taking a battering from Storm Malik.

When is Storm Corrie set to hit Sheffield and why is there a weather warning for Sheffield?

A second storm, named Storm Corrie, is set to sweep through Sheffield tomorrow and Monday, bringing gusts of up to 43mph.

A yellow weather warning will be in place from 6pm on Sunday, January 30 until 12pm on Monday, January 31, with the Met Office warning of possible travel disruption, including road closures, and power cuts.

Coun Mohammed, who represents Ecclesall ward, said: “I’ve just narrowly escaped this tree falling on my car. I’d just pulled away and five seconds later I heard this crashing noise and thought what’s that? I looked in my mirror and thought ‘chuffing heck, it’s a tree’.

What impact has Storm Malik had across the UK?

“Two neighbours kindly came out to check we were OK. I reported it to Sheffield Council and Amey will be coming out to remove it.

“Please take care. It’s really quite tricky weather at the moment.”

The near miss came as a woman was sadly killed by a falling tree in Scotland, which has borne the brunt of Storm Malik, with gusts of up to 85mph recorded, tens of thousands of homes without power and police urging people not to travel.

What is the advice for driving in high winds?

In Sheffield, Streets Ahead, which is responsible for maintaining the city’s roads, has advised anyone heading out in the car to take extra care this weekend due to Storm Malik and Storm Corrie.

Its advice for driving in high winds includes sticking to main roads where possible, gripping the steering wheel firmly with both hands, keeping enough room either side of your vehicle to account for it getting blown sideways, and being aware of gaps between trees, tall buildings and bridges, where you are more likely to be exposed to strong winds.

Temperatures in Sheffield are forecast to dip to 3C overnight, when it will feel like 1C, and Streets Ahead said it was preparing to grit all priority routes from 10pm this evening.