Storm Franklin tornado warning: When will it hit my area, are there school closures and should I travel?

21 February 2022, 09:08 | Updated: 21 February 2022, 14:32

By Alice Dear

Is Storm Franklin a tornado, when will it hit my local area and are there any school closures?

Storm Franklin is set to cause more chaos across the UK today.

This comes just days after Storm Dudley and Storm Eunice bought strong winds and heavy rain to many areas.

Storm Franklin is not expected to be as severe as Storm Eunice, which was given a red weather warning from the Met Office at the time.

However, there are still some weather warnings in place across the UK for Storm Franklin as the "tornado" is expected to bring wet and windy conditions.

• Pet owners issued warning amid Storm Eunice following reports of cats being 'lifted into the air'

Met Office warn of impacts of Storm Franklin

There have been hundreds of flood alerts in place across the UK following Sunday evening when the storm started to affect the UK.

What are the weather warnings and when will Storm Franklin hit my area?

The easiest way to tell when the storm will affect your area the most is to look closely at the weather warnings from the Met Office.

In Northern Ireland, there was an amber weather warning until 7:00am this morning, which has now changed into a yellow weather warning.

This will last in the region until 1:00pm.

England, Wales and south-western Scotland have a weather warning in place between 12:00pm and 1:00pm.

The North-East will escape the affects of Storm Franklin altogether.

The Met Office explain on their website that the yellow weather warning means that the following could be expected:

• Some damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs, could happen, along with trees/branches being brought down
• Road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected, with longer journey times and cancellations possible
• Some roads and bridges may close
• Power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage
• Injuries and danger to life could occur from large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties

Is Storm Franklin a tornado?

It was the Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (TORRO) who have given the UK the "tornado" warning.

However, the Met Office are not referring to Storm Franklin as a tornado.

Are there any school closures because of Storm Franklin?

Currently, it appears there are no school closures due to Storm Franklin.

A spokesperson for the department of education said in a statement today: “There is no indication of any school closures required in response to Storm Franklin at this stage.

“The decision to open or close a school rests with the school management authority, taking into consideration the full guidance and direction available from the Government Task Force on Emergency Planning, Met Éireann and the principal response agencies, including the local authorities and An Garda Síochána.

“Post-primary schools and many primary schools are on mid-term break from Monday and will return on February 28th.”

Are all train services cancelled because of Storm Franklin?

Many train services are being cancelled or delayed due to Storm Franklin.

You can use the National Rail website or app to check if your journey is still going ahead, however, some companies have told customers to not travel due to the conditions.

Train companies affected according to National Rail:

• Avanti West Coast
• c2c
• Caledonian Sleeper
• Chiltern Railway
• CrossCountry
• East Midlands Railway
• Great Northern
• Great Western Railway
• Greater Anglia
• Heathrow Express
• London Northwestern Railway
• LNER
• Northern
• ScotRail
• Southeastern
• Southern
• South Western Railway
• Stansted Express
• Thameslink
• TransPennine Express
• Transport for Wales
• West Midlands Railway