Devon County Council’s Network Operations Control CentreWhile the clear up from Storm Éowyn is underway today, our highways teams are preparing for more severe weather conditions overnight and across the weekend.
Our Network Operations Control Centre received over 25 reports of fallen trees caused by strong wind gusts.
Among the roads impacted were the B3260 New Road near Okehampton, A3072 Sampford Courtenay, A361 Knowle, A379 between Kenton and Powderham, and A386 Hatherleigh – all of which were swiftly cleared this morning by Devon Highways contractors.
Highest wind speeds reached 68mph on Dartmoor and nearly 69mph on Exmoor during the early hours of this morning, while the south coast of the county was battered with 61mph gusts.
Wind speeds have been easing throughout the day, although the Met Office Yellow Weather Warning for wind remains in place for the rest of today.
There is also a Yellow Weather Warning for ice across the county from 3am until 10am tomorrow morning. Devon’s fleet of gritters will be heading out on most of the county’s main salting routes at midnight as road surface temperatures are set to fall below zero overnight, creating a risk of icy patches.
After that, the forecast is for more strong winds and heavy rain on Sunday and Monday.
A Yellow Weather Warning has been issued for wind from 8am to 3pm on Sunday with wind gusts of around 50-60mph possible in inland areas and up to 70mph on coasts and hills. A Yellow Warning for rain extends from 8am Sunday through until 6am on Monday morning, and with 10-20mm of rainfall forecast over widespread areas and up to 50mm on high ground, there is a risk of localised flooding.
We have 19 tree surgeon crews and five gully cleaning machines responding to issues today, and also preparing for Sunday and Monday.
Councillor Stuart Hughes, Cabinet Member for Highway Management, said:
“Storm Éowyn has kept our teams busy, responding to a number of reports of trees down, but everyone’s working flat out to contend with a mix of weather-related issues. As well as the storm conditions, freezing road surface temperatures overnight mean our gritters will be treating the majority of our precautionary salting routes from midnight tonight. After the amount of rainfall we’ve had there may well be water run-off on parts of the network which could lead to icy patches on Saturday morning.
“While there may be a brief respite from the storm conditions on Saturday, there’s yet more wind and rain in store for Sunday, and the heavy rain is also expected to continue through to Monday morning. The cumulative effect of so many days of heavy rain could lead to surface water and floodwater on our road network. Our teams will continue working hard to keep Devon moving, but there is a possibility of some travel disruption. Please plan ahead, allow extra time for your journey and take extra care.”
We’re reminding people of the following advice:
• Be alert to fallen trees and branches, particularly on minor roads where they may not have been reported;
• Allow additional time for your journey, never drive through floodwater or swollen flowing water, you don’t know how deep it is. Find an alternative route;
• Never assume a road has been salted. Remember that showers or rain will wash salt off roads leaving them prone to ice, and in extreme cold even salting will not stop ice from forming;
• Reduce your speed and leave more space between you and the vehicle in front and leave plenty of room if you’re overtaking;
• Drive with care and according to the conditions;
• Be alert to weather warnings and keep up to date via @Devonalert;
• Listen to local radio for updates on current weather conditions.
For more information and travel advice visit our winter travel webpages or for updates follow @DevonAlert on Facebook and Instagram.