Since October 18th, Strom Babet has been sweeping across the UK, leaving damage, heavy rain and flooding in its wake.

Consequences of the storm have been particularly impactful in Scotland, where thousands of homes have lost power due to the high winds and hundreds of people have been evacuated because of the severe risk of flooding. This has also been common in Northern England, where the storm is especially strong. The Met office has now issued a red weather warning for Scotland, stating that storm Babet poses a risk to life.

However, Storm Babet is beginning to batter the midlands and southern England too.

In the evening of October 19th, the storm struck Oxfordshire with great force, leaving many residents fearing that their home may flood. One resident near Thame, Rebecca Sage, placed sandbags outside her door saying that ‘water was beginning to build up in [her] garden.’ The heavy rain Oxfordshire has faced as a result of Babet has also caused transport disruption; many roads have been flooded making travelling difficult and causing potential damage to vehicles. In Oxfordshire, the Met office have issued a yellow weather warning.

Spells of wet and windy weather are forecast to continue into next week by the Met Office. It is advised that residents in red alerted areas, primarily Scotland,  avoid unnecessary journeys and keep away from large bodies of water. The Met office has advised people in areas expecting heavy rain to stay aware and check if their property is at risk of flooding, formulating a flood plan should it be necessary. People are also reminded to drive cautiously on wet roads, which is applicable to many Oxfordshire residents.