Travel disruption and flood warnings as Storm Austen hits

Disruption and flood warning as storm sweeps in Image source, BBC/Sophie Cridland Image caption, After conditions became unsafe the A354 Portland Beach Road was temporarily closed by the Environment Agency By Indy Almroth-Wright , South of England  and  Sophie Cridland , South of England Published 23 October 2026, 07:27 BST Updated 1 hour ago Storm Austen has continued to cause disruption as it sweeps across Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, having arrived in the south west overnight. The Environment Agency (EA) earlier issued flood warnings for the Dorset coast, including the Chiswell area and Christchurch Harbour, with people urged to avoid seafronts and harbours due to waves overtopping and spray containing debris. Five flood warnings in place for Dorset were all removed shortly after 15:00 BST. There have been power cuts reported and fallen trees and downed power lines causing disruption to roads, ferries and public transport services. Image source, SWR Image caption, A fallen tree has been cleared from the railway line between Poole and Bournemouth, but two further trees have since come down Elsewhere trains have been disrupted between Weymouth and Brockenhurst after three trees fell. South Western Railway (SWR) said the first, which came down on the line near Bournemouth, had now been removed and damage to the track repaired, with checks underway to reopen the line. The company said another tree had since fallen east of Bournemouth station, blocking all lines between Bournemouth and Brockenhurst. Another tree has also come down near Holton Heath station, blocking the line from Wareham towards Bournemouth. There have also been cancellations to trains between Eastleigh and Fareham and Eastleigh and Basingstoke also due to fallen trees. Image source, Andrew Gregory Image caption, A parked van was crushed by a fallen tree in Locks Heath, but no-one was hurt On the Isle of Wight the forecast severe weather expected through Friday has halted Island Line trains along Ryde Pier. A minibus has been brought in to shuttle passengers along Ryde Pier to reach the Wightlink FastCat to and from Portsmouth. Red Funnel's Southampton Town Quay to West Cowes Red Jet was also halted, with the vehicle ferry service still running to timetable. Wightlink cancelled a number of sailings across all three of its routes on Friday. It later said it had resumed the Lymington-Yarmouth and Portsmouth - Fishbourne vehicle ferry crossings, although warned of further disruption likely when Storm Boelo arrives on Saturday evening. The weather is also disrupting Hovertravel crossings between Southsea in Portsmouth and Ryde. Brittany Ferries has cancelled sailings on its Poole - Guernsey - St Malo service. Travellers are being urged to check their journey in full before setting out. Image source, Karl Love Image caption, The high winds brought down trees on the Isle of Wight A number of roads in Southampton and on the Isle of Wight were closed while fallen trees were removed. In the New Forest a fallen electricity cable earlier blocked traffic heading into and out of Lyndhurst on the A35 Romsey Road. Image caption, A tree was cleared from Archer's Road in Southampton What does it mean? A flood warning , external means that flooding is expected so you should act now. The Environment Agency suggests: Move your loved ones, pets and valuables to a safe place. Move to higher ground or the upper floor of a building. Turn off the gas, electricity and water in your home if it's safe. Put flood protection equipment in place. Do as the emergency services tell you and help others if it's safe to do so. Image source, BBC/Sophie Cridland Image caption, Strong winds and large waves caused flooding in the Chiswell area on Portland early on Friday morning The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for the south coast including Dorset, The Isle of Wight and Hampshire in place until 21:00 BST. An amber weather warning for strong winds is in place for Cornwall and parts of Devon. Get in touch Your Voice Contact form Contact form Related topics Dorset Portland Environment Agency Floods Severe weather Bournemouth Poole Brockenhurst Hampshire & Isle of Wight Ryde Ferries Wareham Weymouth More on this story South braces for first named storm of the season Published 1 day ago Two storms in two days as Austen and Boelo target UK Published 1 day ago Related Links Dorset Council Environment Agency