Storm Eunice: Wrexham live updates

5:57PM Final Update An extra line just in on the local response, in addition to the below update, Cllr David A Bithell, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, said, “We were well prepared for Storm Eunice and I’m glad to say that the worst seems to be over.

“We have had in the region of 20 trees brought down but no major issues caused by the wind and rain. Bin collections went ahead as usual and the Household Recycling Centres remained open.

“There’s still some bad weather over the coming days but nothing as severe as was forecasted with this particular storm. I encourage everyone to be aware when out and about and to stay safe.”

5:40PM Final Update With the last few updates indicating what we can all see outside, with winds dropping from earlier highs, we will wrap up the live updates. Thankfully scenes seen elsewhere have not occurred locally and we have not experienced the full force of Storm Eunice.

An ‘Amber’ warning for wind is still in place until 9pm in what will be a gusty cold evening.

Stay safe everyone! 👍

5:32PM An update from Deputy Leader of the Council and Lead Member for Environment & Transport David A Bithell giving a round up of today contains a “big thank you to all our staff”.

The update is the ‘latest and last’ for for the storm which appears to have left the Wrexham area quite untouched compared to areas further south.

The bulletpointed update provided to us reads:

• The storm has abated.
• Environment colleagues have dealt with 15 fallen trees and will continue to respond to any more over the coming days.
• There has been some localised flooding (4 locations), but nothing major or widespread.
• The A483 viaduct near Chirk, which was closed by the Police, will open before 6pm.
• We are not aware of any impact on power supplies.
• There has been some minor damage to the Wrexham Maelor Hospital main entrance
• Social Care colleague contacted 70 of our most vulnerable residents for a welfare check, which was much appreciated.
• Over the weekend, mobile patrols will be visiting schools and strategic Council sites to assess if there has been any damage. The emergency repairs service will take urgent action where necessary.

An overview of the forecast for the coming evening and tomorrow is also included: “”Stormy winds easing this afternoon with sunny spells and showers. Some sleet mixed in with the showers to high ground. Fewer showers tonight and some clear spells, at least for a time, with RSTs falling close to or below zero. More persistent precipitation again into Saturday morning, likely including some sleet/snow for a time, expected to result in some accumulation. Snow may briefly fall to lower levels as well with uncertainty on this.”

5:23PM The First Minister has said the worst has passed, in a short statement Mark Drakeford said: “The worst of Storm Eunice has passed, but there’s still an Amber Warning in force until 9pm. Significant disruption continues and many homes have no power. Please take care, avoid travel if you can, stay away from the coast and check in on vulnerable neighbours. Diolch pawb.”

5:20 PM Traffic Wales have issued an apology following the previous update – the road has NOT reopened. We had been told that it was closed at that point. Traffic Wales have now confirmed, saying: “Apologies for the confusion the A483 Dee and Ceiriog viaducts remain closed at the moment. As wind ease we reopen the road as soon as it is safe to do so. This could be from approx 6pm onwards.”

5:15 PM Traffic Wales says the A483/A4 Ruabon to Chirk full closure has been lifted and is reopening although we have not been able to confirm, if so it comes after an afternoon of long slow diversions through Llangollen due to the ongoing issue at Newbridge.

5:02PM Locally winds have dropped, and hopefully that is the main ‘storm window’ over with! There has been some more damage reported:

Stormageddon #Eunice #Storm #Carnage #BirdBath #PrayForTheBirds @wrexham @Ruth_ITV @DerekTheWeather pic.twitter.com/m0skFKHbaa

— Antony Humphreys (@tafftravels) February 18, 2022

4:50PM A tree that was blocking Station road in Bangor on Dee road has now been removed and road is now clear.

4:25PM Wind gusts have dropped further, and various alerts in the area have dropped off. Currently there are no power issues being reported in the area.

The below graph shows the peak and drop off of wind / gust speeds as measured in Llandegla.

3:57PM Looking at some of the public ‘WOW’ Met Office datasets out there locally it appears a 60MPH gust was clocked in Llandegla just before 1pm. Since then peaks have dropped, as has the temperatures recorded – all pretty much matching what was forecasted and for when.

3:43PM The local health board have reported damage at the hospital, “We have temporarily closed the main entrance of Wrexham Maelor Hospital due to wind damage to the front canopy.”

“We ask patients and visitors to please enter and exit the hospital via Entrance B, or the non-emergency Ambulance Entrance, which can be found around the corner from the main entrance and are signposted along the main road.”

3:20 PM Some good news, a large number of flood warnings in North Wales have been removed. Locally flood alerts ares still in place for the usual lower Dee catchment areas, with details here.

3PM While most roads appear clear locally, and some people even adjusting their speeds on the bypass due to the wind, there are 3-4 mile queues west into Llangollen due to the A5/A483 diversion.

2:40 PM Another update from the Lead Member of the Environment at Wrexham Council that passes on a weather update, giving an insight to what is expected locally: “Stormy winds easing this afternoon with sunny spells and showers. Some sleet mixed in with the showers to high ground. Fewer showers tonight and some clear spells, at least for a time, with RSTs falling close to or below zero. More persistent precipitation again into Saturday morning, likely including some sleet/snow for a time, expected to result in some accumulation. Snow may briefly fall to lower levels as well with uncertainty on this.”

Again the quick guide on how to report issues to the council was included:

While we’re hoping Wrexham avoids the worst of the weather, you can report any issues (e.g. storm damage, fallen trees etc) to the council on the following numbers:

Office hours (8.30am-5pm) 01978 298989
Out of hours 01978 292055
Housing repairs for council tenants (24hrs) 01978 298993
Any issues with power-outages can be reported by calling 105 (Powercut 105 is a free service that will put you through to your local network operator for help and support).

Remember that if there’s an immediate threat to life during any adverse weather event, you should always call 999.

2:15 PM : A picture of one of the previously mentioned trees down and clearances underway…

@wrexham borras road near Roc 2 studios has a tree down. Guys on the scene trying to remove it. pic.twitter.com/sDEjksKVVg

— EditReady01 (@EReady01) February 18, 2022

2:05PM Without getting too technical or precise, it does feel winds have picked up over the last half hour. The storm has hit further west, however it remains to be seen if things will deteriorate locally over the next few hours.

The Met Office forecasts have the worst of the wind gusts peaking over the next two hours before gradually calming into the evening.

Live track of Storm Eunice

Update 1:45PM : Perhaps an unexpected issue resulting from some closures of the expected storm, it appears people have been coming to Wrexham to get rid of their rubbish at our Household Recycling Centres.

This time in a more official update, Cllr David A Bithell, Wrexham Council’s Lead Member for Environment and Transport, says: “We’ve seen an increase in visits this morning from residents living in neighbouring areas. We want to be clear that the normal rules at our three sites remain in place, and that proof of ID is required. Anyone who can’t prove they live in the county borough will be challenged and turned away.”

Update 1:30PM : There has been no official public update this afternoon from the council however the Lead Member for the Environment Cllr David A Bithell has shared what we understand was an internal situation report via his own councillor social media, it notes “Wind speeds will peak at around 1pm and then subside. The wind is not expected to be as bad as first forecast, but a number of trees have already come down, so people should still minimise travel. Streetscene are dealing with these trees. If you wish to report a fallen tree or other road hazard, please call the Contact Centre.”

“The A483 viaduct near Chirk has been closed by the Police. This will be reviewed later, but there is no set time for it to reopen, at the moment.
Winter weather is forecast overnight and over the weekend, so streetscene will probably be out gritting later tonight.”

With regards to flooding it adds there is some “surface water” in parts of the County Borough, but adds there are “no reports, as yet, that this is a significant problem”.

Original information below…

Overnight heavy rain hit the area with an Amber warning in place for high winds due to a predicted visit of Storm Eunice this afternoon, after a relatively quiet morning.

Winds gusting to 50mph are predicted for this afternoon through the evening.

All rail services are suspended, schools in Wrexham are shut and members of the public are advised not to travel unless absolutely necessary.

As of midday the A483 is closed between Ruabon and Chirk both ways due “extremely high winds impacting Dee & Ceiriog viaducts”, and due to the long standing inability to fix the Newbridge road by the authorities the diversion route is via Llangollen.

Ahead of the storm the council provided a quick guide on how to report issues to them:

While we’re hoping Wrexham avoids the worst of the weather, you can report any issues (e.g. storm damage, fallen trees etc) to the council on the following numbers:

Office hours (8.30am-5pm) 01978 298989
Out of hours 01978 292055
Housing repairs for council tenants (24hrs) 01978 298993
Any issues with power-outages can be reported by calling 105 (Powercut 105 is a free service that will put you through to your local network operator for help and support).

Remember that if there’s an immediate threat to life during any adverse weather event, you should always call 999.

We will be updating this page throughout the afternoon with the latest from the area. As usual you can send any images or information to [email protected] , or messages via our social media.