A major airport has been forced to close after thunderstorms knocked out all communication with air traffic control.
Inrix reports that the airport has been closed with all flights currently grounded, after flash thunderstorms lashed the region on Monday night, June 22 which has resulted in damage to both ground radar and communication systems.
Inbound flights are now either waiting in holding patterns or diverting to alternate airfields.
Bristol Airport told the BBC that passengers should contact their airline and to double check before they travel.
The update comes amid earlier reports that 850 passengers – five flights’ worth – are being diverted from Bristol to Gatwick airport, with EasyJet reportedly providing coaches back to Bristol.
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Earlier on Monday evening, he Met Office announced a thunderstorm warning for several regions across the UK on Monday night, spanning from 5pm to 9pm.
While the weather alert has since expired, communities across south West England are still reeling in the wake of wild storms and flash flooding.
Who did the warning cover? The weather alert applied to parts of East of England, London and South East England, South West England.
What was the full alert? A Yellow weather warning is in effect, continuing until Monday 9pm. The forecast indicates frequent lightning strikes and heavy rain in the impacted regions.
A Met Office forecaster said, in a statement issued alongside the urgent weather alert earlier this evening (June 22): “An area of thunderstorms moving east across the area will bring a spell of frequent lightning, gusty winds, torrential rain, and a few places, hail.
The storms will be moving quickly reducing the potential for widespread large amounts of rain, but there is a few places could see 20-25 mm of rainfall in a short period in the most active storms, which could bring some brief flooding.
“The majority of impacts are likely to come from other hazards however, such as lightning striking buildings and causing power cuts, difficult driving conditions in heavy rain, and some localised damage to vulnerable structures by strong wind gusts or hail.”
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Inrix is now reporting that the airport has been closed with all flights currently grounded because of flash thunderstorms which have resulted in damage to the ground radar and communication systems.
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As per the Bristol Post, the airport has been slammed for a perceived lack of communication with travellers in the wake of earlier thunderstorms.
‘One person who says their partner is stuck at Bristol due to the storms told the Bristol Post: “I have a partner stuck at the Airport. She just said that all shops were closed so people can’t buy food or drinks, no information was given to passengers via intercom or anything, people can’t get their luggage or know what to do.
“Absolute shambles.”
Rachel Vickers-PriceToday00:38 BST
Earlier reports of disruption to air traffic revealed that 850 passengers – or five flights – were diverted from Bristol to Gatwick Airport.It is understood that EasyJet provided coaches back to Bristol to ensure passengers would eventually arrive at their intended destination.
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Traffic monitoring program Inrix first reported issues at Bristol Airport just before 7pm in the wake of summer thunderstorms.
The 6.53pm alert read: “Disruption at Bristol Airport as flights are currently grounded due to flash thunderstorms.”
It also urged passengers to double check with their airline “”before they travel”.