If you’re just walking into work after this morning’s commute, you’ll already be intimately familiar with Storm Francis – the latest storm to batter Britain and signal the end of summer.
If you haven’t left for the office yet, you might want to consider working from home.
It’s seriously grim out there. And it’s set to stay this way all day.
Storm Francis is sending high winds and heavy rain across Greater Manchester throughout Tuesday (25 August) – and now a Yellow Warning has been issued by the Met Office.
Making itself known on Monday evening, Storm Francis swept into the country with 70mph winds and torrential rain that has led to problems in the west.
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Wales has already been hit particularly hard by the nasty weather, with homes flooding in south Wales and firefighters sent in to rescue campers from fast flowing water in Carmarthenshire.
Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office Andy Page: “The UK is in for another unseasonably wet and windy spell with Storm Francis arriving on Tuesday.
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“There will be strong winds and heavy rain, especially in the west of the UK.”
An additional Met Office spokesman said: “Gusts are likely to reach 55-60 mph for quite a few places, with exposed coasts and hills seeing gusts of around 70 mph.
“Heavy rain during Tuesday and early Wednesday is expected to result in some flooding and disruption to travel.”
Up here in Greater Manchester, strong winds and torrential rain are expected to persist throughout the day and evening, with the weather hopefully drying up around 7am tomorrow.
As things stand, Storm Francis is set to pass over the country completely by midday on Wednesday (26 August).
Travel disruptions are expected, and caution is urged when commuting by car as roads are likely to be hazardous.
Stay up-to-date with the latest weather changes in the north by using the Met Office website.
News
Police appeal to find next of kin after man found outside Palace Theatre
Daisy Jackson
Police are trying to track down the family of a man who died after being found unresponsive outside the Palace Theatre in Manchester.
The man, who has now been named as Jonathan Bernard Carroll, was seen outside the city centre theatre at around 6.30am on Tuesday 12 November.
Emergency services rushed to the scene and Mr Carroll was taken to hospital.
Tragically, the 47-year-old passed away a short time later.
A large cordon was in place on Whitworth Street and Oxford Road while police and security attended the incident.
Greater Manchester Police are now appealing to find his next of kin.
It’s believed that he resided in the Salford area of Greater Manchester.
Anyone with any information should contact the Coroner’s Office on 0161 856 1376.
Greater Manchester public urged to help get people ‘off the streets and on their feet’ before Christmas
Emily Sergeant
Locals are being urged to help get hundreds of people “off the streets and back on their feet” this festive season.
As the temperatures told colder by the day, and Christmas creeps closer and closer, Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity is bringing back ‘1000 Beds for Christmas’, and the massively-important initiative is aiming to provide 1,000 nights of accommodation to people at risk of homelessness before the big day arrives.
Forming part of the ongoing ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme, this festive fundraising mission is designed to provide food, shelter, warmth, and dedicated vital wrap-around support for those who need it most.
The charity says it wants to build on the “incredible success of 2023”, which raised more than £55,000 and provided 1,800 nights of accommodation.
Stockport-based property finance specialists, Together – which has supported the campaign for the last two years – has, once again, generously pledged to match every public donation for the first £20,000 raised.
Unfamiliar with the ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme? Since 2017, when rough sleeping peaked, the initiative has helped ensure a significantly-higher rate of reduction in the numbers of people facing a night on streets in Greater Manchester than seen nationally.
The landmark scheme has given people the chance to rebuild their lives, while also giving them access to key services and opportunities that allows them to stay off the streets for good.
Despite the scheme’s recent success, organisations across Greater Manchester are under “a huge amount of pressure” to meet the demand for their services this winter, and given the current economic outlook, household budgets will continue to be squeezed – leaving people on the sharp end of inequality and poverty.
The Manc -
25th August 2020 
