Footage has captured the moment a TalkTV journalist was nearly floored by horrific 99mph winds as he did a piece to camera.
In recent days Storm Isha has battered the UK with severe weather including heavy rain and high winds, causing disruption up and down the country.
In the video from Julia Hartley-Brewer’s show, journalist Nick Ellerby can be seen on top of Beachy Head, East Sussex, trying to give a report on the weather conditions.
As the wind intensifies, both he and the camera operator struggle to stand as they are hit by repeated gusts of wind that threaten to knock them both down.
Ms Hartley-Brewer said to Mr Ellerby: “You are wobbling desperately, trying to stay upright in the incredible winds. Beautiful scenes behind you, but you’re unnecessarily close to the cliff edge, you and the cameraman. If I took the sound off it would look like you’re both drunk.”
Eventually, Mr Ellerby gives the thumbs up to Ms Hartley-Brewer to show he’s OK before the camera pans away. Mr Ellerby was one of several journalists reporting from the coast on the latest storm to strike the UK this winter.
According to the BBC, the Met Office said that at its height Storm Isha was causing wind speeds of up to 99mph. However, Transport Scotland said they reported a gust of 107mph.
The high winds are causing havoc across Scotland and the rest of the UK with train services severely disrupted by heavy rain and the sub-100mph winds brought on by Storm Isha and soon to be wrought by Storm Jocelyn.
Storm Jocelyn is the latest named storm to hit the UK this winter. Ahead of its impact, ScotRail has suspended services from 7pm on Tuesday. In a statement, their customer operations director Phil Campbell said: “The heavy wind and ongoing rain hitting most parts of the country mean that it will not be safe for our customers and our staff, and all ScotRail train services will be suspended from 7pm tomorrow.”
Mr Campbell added: “This is the second withdrawal of train services this week, and we know the impact this has on customers, but the safety of staff and passengers will always be our priority.”
In preparation for Storm Jocelyn, the Met Office has issued a 14-hour danger-to-life alert. Furthermore, while it will be less powerful than Storm Isha, it is still likely to cause damage.
Chief Meteorologist for the Met Office Steve Willington said: “Although this system will be a step down relative to Storm Isha, with the damage and clean up still underway, we could potentially see more impacts from Storm Jocelyn.
“Outbreaks of heavy rain on Tuesday could bring rainfall accumulations of 15 to 20 mm quite widely with 40 to 50 mm over higher ground in southwest Scotland, the Scottish Highlands and parts of northwest England.”
Wind speeds are expected to be slightly lower too. Mr Willington explained: “Wind gusts are expected to reach 55 to 65 mph across northwestern Scotland while there is potential for winds to gust to 75 to 80 mph in a few places, in particular, exposed parts of the Western Isles and coastal northwest Scotland early on Wednesday morning.”
With Scotland likely to face the brunt of Jocelyn, the country has been making preparations for its arrival. National Operations Manager for Resilience at Transport Scotland Martin Thompson said: “Focus will soon shift to the next named storm, Jocelyn, for later this week, and preparations are already underway with rail, aviation and ferries colleagues to ensure we are as ready as we can be.
“Staff from our trunk road operating companies will be patrolling the network and undertaking inspections to respond quickly to any further treefall or blocked drains. Their proactive efforts in terms of branch cutting and drain clearing at vulnerable locations have helped minimise disruption in the past.
“Across the wider network, we can expect to see more delays and cancellations with ferries, flights and rail from Tuesday into Wednesday morning. Please check with your public transport operator for the latest information and your local authority and Police Scotland for the latest information on local roads.”
