Bloomin' Henk, it's windy!

Amber weather alert for North Devon

Storm Henk is taking its toll across Devon, with Met Office yellow warnings in place for both wind and rain.

The wind warning is upgraded to amber for parts of North Devon and Cornwall up until 10pm on Tuesday, which means there could be a risk to life. 

Very strong winds are expected with gusts of 70-80 mph likely in some coastal areas. Across the rest of Devon there is the possibility heavy rain and localised flooding.

Drivers should expect longer journey times and rail, road, air and ferry services may be affected. Drivers of high sided vehicles should take extra care in the winds. Some roads and bridges could close and damage to some buildings is likely, such as tiles blown from roofs.

Flying debris is likely and there is a chance that power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage.

The county council says you must drive, you can do this more safely by driving slowly to minimise the impact of wind gusts, be aware of high sided vehicles/caravans on more exposed roads and be cautious when overtaking, and give cyclists, motorcyclists, lorries and buses more room than usual.

If you are on the coast, stay safe during stormy weather by being aware of large waves.  The winds could bring down trees and block roads; the storm will also blow leaves off trees which could then block gullies and drains, leading to localised highway flooding.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council cabinet member for highway management, said: “Staff will be on duty to cope with any  calls to the control centre and Devon Highways will have teams ready to call upon if needed. If you're out on Devon's roads, please allow more time for your journey and drive according to conditions. Keep up to date with the latest conditions by tuning in to travel updates and weather forecasts and please plan your journey.”