Storm Eunice: Live updates as thousands of Leeds homes without power, travel disrupted and buildings damaged

Here is the full weather forecast from the Met Office as Storm Eunice approaches Leeds:

This Evening and Tonight:

Isolated showers and clear spells initially, with a slight frost. Becoming cloudy, with heavy rain spreading northeastwards later, turning to heavy snow and accumulating on hills. Winds increasing as Storm Eunice approaches, with blizzard risk over high ground. Minimum temperature 0 °C.

Friday:

Storm Eunice will bring widespread snow at first, sometimes heavy, with significant accumulations over hills. Further spells of rain and snow following, with widespread gales and severe gales later. Maximum temperature 6 °C.

Outlook for Saturday to Monday:

Saturday winds easing then snow showers or longer periods of rain and snow. Gales or severe gales Sunday and Monday. Sunday rain, heavy later, followed by snow showers, decreasing Monday.

There are no current flood warnings or alerts in place for Leeds, as of 8.40pm.

You can check for alerts on this website: https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/

Morning Leeds.

As ever the YEP remains the best place to keep right up to date with all the latest Storm Eunice news.

Stay tuned across the day as the city prepares to be hit by further high winds and possibly even snow.

A yellow weather warning for wind remains in place across Leeds this morning.

Here is today’s Met Office weather forecast:

Headline:

Storm Eunice brings widespread gales or severe gales later today.

Today:

Storm Eunice will bring rain and hill snow first thing, before clearing northeastwards to allow a brighter spell to develop during the morning. Further showers arriving from west, wintry on hills, during the afternoon. Widespread gales or severe gales later. Maximum temperature 6 °C.

Tonight:

Further bands of rain and hill snow moving across the region overnight. Winds continuing to ease, after early gales in places. Cold with a local ground frost and some ice. Minimum temperature -1 °C.

The Met Office has issued a rare Red Weather Warning for parts of Southern England and into Wales but there is thus far no suggestion that such a warning could be implemented across Leeds and West Yorkshire.

A very wet start to the day here.

West Yorkshire Police are warning of lots of surface water on the roads. Receiving multiple calls of road traffic collisions.

Stay safe out there on the morning commute to work.

Leeds station is expecting widespread rail disruption and passengers are advised not to travel unless strictly necessary.

The Met Office says there’s a chance of power cuts and damage to buildings and trees. The yellow weather warning for wind covering much of Yorkshire is expected to remain in place until this evening.

Here are the council contact numbers to report Forestry Emergencies, such as fallen trees.

Leeds - 0113376049

Wakefield - 0345850650

Kirklees - 0148441490

Calderdale - 0142228800

Bradford - 01274431000

National Highways has issued a severe alert for strong winds. It’s warning high-sided vehicles, caravans and motorbikes could be blown over in the stormy weather so should avoid certain stretches of the motorways in Yorkshire and some a-roads until 6pm this evening.