London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Sep 05, 2026

Storm Franklin: Flooding and evacuations as storm nears UK

Storm Franklin: Flooding and evacuations as storm nears UK

Flooding driven by heavy rain has prompted evacuations in parts of the UK as Storm Franklin approaches.

There is severe flooding in parts of Northern Ireland, while people in Yorkshire and Manchester have been forced to leave their homes for safety.

The brunt of the new storm is forecast to hit overnight.

Franklin comes days after Storm Eunice killed three people and left 1.4 million homes without power, with nearly 56,000 still to be reconnected.

The Met Office has issued two weather warnings for Sunday evening and Monday:

*  An amber warning for wind in the north of Northern Ireland from 00:00 GMT to 07:00 on Monday

*  A yellow warning for wind covering Wales, Northern Ireland, most of England and parts of south-west Scotland from 12:00 on Sunday until 13:00 on Monday

More than 140 flood warnings are in place across the north of England, with Yorkshire and Manchester the worst hit by flooding.

North Yorkshire Fire Service has been working to rescue people, posting a picture of one in progress as waters engulfed a caravan site in Knaresborough.

More than 400 homes in south Manchester are being evacuated after two severe flood warnings indicated a danger to life.

Northern Ireland has also seen severe flooding, with efforts underway to prevent rivers from bursting their banks


In Northern Ireland, heavy rain has caused severe flooding, with counties Londonderry and Tyrone the worst hit.

Efforts are also under way to prevent the Drumragh and Finn rivers from bursting their banks, with workers using pumps to try to keep the water contained.

In Shropshire, the River Severn has been threatening to burst its banks and emergency teams have erected flood barriers in Ironbridge to try to prevent the waters from reaching homes.

The runway lights at Gatwick Airport were knocked out for nearly 20 minutes by the weather at around 18:30 on Sunday evening.

The airport said the outage did not have an impact on flights - although there are some delays and cancellations because of the high winds.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said flooding was expected in several areas along the River Severn in Powys.

Eighteen flood warnings and seven alerts have also been issued across the Scottish Borders, Ayrshire, Orkney and the Western Isles by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.


Franklin is the third storm to hit the UK in a week, and follows the disruption from Storm Dudley and Storm Eunice.

High winds could cause further power cuts, transport delays and damage to properties, the Met Office has warned.

Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said 55,800 properties were still without power - down from 190,000 on Saturday.

He said: "UK Power Networks (SE + E England) is receiving mutual aid from other network operators across the UK to bolster their restoration efforts."

As of Sunday afternoon, the Energy Networks Association confirmed around 56,000 homes still had no power, including 21,500 in South West England, 17,000 in South East England and 12,000 in South England.

It added that around 27,000 homes had been reconnected so far over the course of Sunday.

Electricity provider Western Power Distribution (WPD) said Friday saw the most power cuts the South West has ever experienced in a 24-hour period.

Storm Eunice tore through the UK on Friday bringing widespread disruption as trees were toppled, trains were cancelled, schools closed as well as affecting power supplies.

A female passenger in her 30s died in Highgate, north London after a tree fell on a car. The driver, a man in his 30s, was taken to hospital.

A man died in Merseyside after debris hit the windscreen of a car he was a passenger in.

In Alton, Hampshire, two men were in a pickup truck when it was crushed by a falling tree. The passenger died at the scene while the driver was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

The O2 arena in London will remain closed until Friday after part of its roof was ripped off in Storm Eunice's high winds.

Rapper Dave was forced to postpone his gigs and will announce new dates in the next 48 hours, a statement from the O2 said.

Meanwhile UB40 has been rescheduled to 25 February, Simply Red to 2 and 3 March, The Lumineers to 4 March and Davido to 5 March, the venue said.

Meteorologist Becky Mitchell said this was the first time the Met Office had recorded three major storms in a week since the naming system was introduced seven years ago.

She told the PA news agency: "At the moment we've got a really active jet stream, which is why we're seeing so many storms track right towards the UK.

"We had Dudley on Wednesday, Eunice on Friday and Franklin today."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Urges Households to Keep Emergency Supplies Amid Severe El Niño Warning
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Sets Out Regional Industry and Prison Reform Agenda
Siemens Energy Wins Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactor Manufacturing Contract
UK Mortgage Costs Rise as Gilt Yields and Swap Rates Climb
Bank of England’s Huw Pill Calls for Prompt Rate Rise as Inflation Risks Persist
National Audit Office Warns UK Is Unprepared for Major Food Supply Disruptions
British Army Suspends Some Training Exercises as Budget Pressures Intensify
HMS Queen Elizabeth Deploys as NATO Allied Response Force Command Ship
Reform UK Suspends Two Senior Officials Over Alleged Foreign Donation Scheme
UK Reasserts Falkland Islands Sovereignty After Argentina Threatens Sanctions
Scottish Tech Company PureLifi Enters Administration With More Than 40 Job Losses
Scottish Government Names Alyn Smith Innovation and Education Minister
Green Party Co-Leader Zack Polanski to Contest By-Election for Keir Starmer’s Former Seat
Palestine Action Activists Appeal Terrorism-Related Prison Sentences
PwC Report Highlights Persistent Regional Spending-Power Divide Across Britain
UK Names Hundreds of Employers for Minimum Wage Violations
UK Commits £400 Million to International Tropical Forest Fund
UK Extends £2 Bus Fare Cap Across England Through 2027
UK Warns Travellers as US-Iran Tensions Disrupt Middle East Security and Shipping
Andy Burnham Faces Kemi Badenoch in First Prime Minister’s Questions
Kemi Badenoch Names Andrew Griffith Shadow Chancellor in Conservative Reshuffle
UK Treasury and Markets Focus on Fiscal Headroom Ahead of Autumn Budget
UK Government Reverses Early Release Plans for Serious Violent and Sexual Offences
UK and France Review Border Cooperation After 48,000 Small-Boat Crossings Prevented
UK Growth Outlook Weakens as Inflation and Energy Costs Rise
Breeding Tropical Mosquitoes Discovered in East London
Sadiq Khan Agrees to Search of Digital Communications in Palantir Lawsuit
Scottish Protesters Call for Moratorium on AI Data Centre Expansion
Uber Drivers Bring London Class Action Over Algorithmic Management
Reform UK Accepts £4 Million Donation From Cryptocurrency Billionaire Pardoned by Trump
Justice Secretary Tightens Early Release Scheme to Exclude Manslaughter Offenders
Kemi Badenoch Reshuffles Conservative Team as Reform UK Pressure Grows
British Mortgage Rates Rise as Global Bond Sell-Off Pushes Up Borrowing Costs
UK Records Hottest Summer on Record in 2026
UK Government Urges Households to Stock Essential Supplies Ahead of Severe El Niño Risk
UK Prepares Targeted Sanctions Over Israeli Settlements in West Bank
Reform UK Faces Electoral and Police Scrutiny Over Foreign Donation Allegations
UK and France Expand Channel Migration Cooperation as Trade Tensions Surface
UK Marks Merchant Navy Day With Tribute to Civilian Seafarers
Burnham Pays Tribute to Two Police Officers Killed on Duty in Northern England
Booking.com Left Fake Downing Street Listing Online for Two Months, Which Says
Burnham and Macron to Review UK-France Cooperation on Channel Crossings
UK Business Confidence Improves Slightly but Investment Concerns Persist
Burnham Faces Pressure Over Future North Sea Oil and Gas Licences
Burnham Pushes Wider English Devolution Through ‘Number Ten North’
British Chambers of Commerce Raises 2026 UK Growth Forecast to 1%
Keir Starmer Resigns as Holborn and St Pancras MP, Triggering By-Election
UK Chancellor Faces Tighter Budget Headroom as Long-Term Borrowing Costs Rise
UK Government Weighs Thames Water Nationalisation as Financial Crisis Deepens
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Faces First Commons Questions Over Tax and Spending Plans
×