At least three people died in the UK after
the year’s first winter storm hit parts of the country with gusts of nearly 100
mph (160 kph).

The storm, which was named Arwen by the
country’s Met Office, has battered parts of the north of England, Scotland and
Northern Ireland. Three men, one in each of those parts of the UK, died as
trees were blown over, AP reported.

Also Read: What are geomagnetic storms?

 “Storm Arwen has delivered some dangerously
strong winds overnight, with gusts in excess of 90 mph recorded,” the Met
Office’s chief meteorologist Steve Ramsdale said. “The strong winds will move
south across the U.K. through the day, gradually weakening.”

Though the worst of the storm appears to
have passed, people have been advised to be wary of travelling on Saturday, as
train networks reported disruption to services amid still-high winds and heavy
snow.

Taking to Twitter, the Met Office advised,
“Many roads remain closed so please only travel if absolutely
necessary.”

Power outages hit
the UK  
        

The regional power company, Northern
Powergrid, said 55,000 customers in Northumberland, County Durham and Tyne and
Wear in the north of England had experienced power outages. The company also
said engineers were working to restore power in southern England and Scotland.

Also Read: Powerful storm rattles drought, wildfire stricken California

Express train services were suspended north
of Newcastle. In Parts of Scotland, roads remained closed due to fallen debris.

Snowfall from Friday afternoon also brought
additional disruptions. Traffic police and social media posts indicated snow
and fallen debris had resulted in road closures, causing many motorists to have
to stay in their cars overnight.

Police said 120 trucks were “stuck in
the snow” between the cities of Leeds and Manchester.