Millions urged to stay home as record breaking Storm Éowyn brings disruption
Millions of people have been urged to stay at home as 100mph winds pose a danger to life and cause travel disruption across the UK, reports the PA news agency.
About 4.5 million people received emergency alerts on their phones warning of the incoming storm in the “largest real-life use of the tool to date” on Thursday, reports the PA news agency, with more amber and yellow weather warnings for wind and rain issued for across the weekend.
Rail services, flights and ferries have been axed, with rare red weather warnings in place on Friday in Scotland and Northern Ireland as Storm Éowyn batters the country.
Train operator ScotRail has suspended all services across Scotland on Friday, saying it “would not be safe to operate passenger services”, with Calmac and Western Ferries services also cancelled because of weather conditions. Other services affected by the storm include Avanti West Coast, LNER, West Midlands Railway, Lumo, Transport for Wales and South Western Railway.
The storm is likely to damage buildings, uproot trees and cause power cuts, according to the Met Office alerts.
Northern Ireland’s first minister, Michelle O’Neill, urged people to stay at home, adding “we are in the eye of the storm now”, in an interview with BBC Radio Ulster.
As of Friday morning, more than 93,000 homes and businesses were left without power in Northern Ireland as the storm caused “widespread damage” to electricity networks, according to NIE Networks.
More than 715,000 homes, farms and businesses are without power across the Republic of Ireland after Storm Éowyn caused “unprecedented” damage to electricity infrastructure, the Irish Electricity Supply Board (ESB) said.
Hundreds of schools and nurseries across Scotland will be closed on Friday as first minister, John Swinney, warned residents not to travel.
Air travel has also been disrupted, with at least 334 flights cancelled across airports in Aberdeen, Belfast, Edinburgh and Glasgow, affecting about 50,000 passengers, according to analysis by the PA news agency of flight tracking website FlightRadar24.
Motorists in areas covered by red and amber weather warnings have been told to avoid travel “unless absolutely essential”. National Highways said the A66 between the A1M in North Yorkshire and M6 in Cumbria, as well as the A628 Woodhead Pass in Derbyshire and South Yorkshire, were both closed overnight due to strong winds. The M62 Ouse Bridge in East Yorkshire has also been closed to high-sided vehicles.
On Friday morning, a record-breaking wind speed of 114mph (183kmh) was measured in Mace Head, County Galway in Ireland, Met Éireann said. The previous highest wind speed on record was 113mph (182kmh) set in January 1945 in Foynes, County Limerick, according to the weather service.
In Wales, winds reached a top speed of 93mph in the Welsh village of Aberdaron, Gwynedd, on Friday morning, the Met Office said.
Red warnings are in place in Northern Ireland from 7am until 2pm on Friday, and for western and central areas of Scotland between 10am and 5pm, with speeds of up to 100mph likely along coasts, the forecaster said.
Amber wind warnings are also in place for Northern Ireland, the southern half of Scotland, northern England and north Wales between 6am and 9pm on Friday, and the northern half of Scotland from 1pm on Friday to 6am on Saturday. Winds reaching 60 to 70mph will be widespread in these areas, with up to 90mph possible on coastal areas. A further yellow wind warning covers the rest of UK for all of Friday.
Yellow warnings for snow are in place in Scotland, from 6am to midnight, and rain in south-west England and Wales until 9am.
RAC Breakdown advised motorists in warning areas to stay safe by parking away from trees, keep a firm grip on the steering wheel, avoid coastal routes and watch out for debris.
Key events
Hayley Fowler, professor of climate change impacts at Newcastle University said that climate change is making storms like Éowyn more frequent. Fowler said:
Our work using high-resolution climate models from the UK Met Office shows that climate change is making storms like Éowyn more frequent, with more intense wind speeds and much higher rainfall amounts.
Risks are changing rapidly: we are living in a much warmer world, with temperatures breaching the 1.5C warming threshold in 2024 for the first time. As the climate gets warmer we can expect these storms to become even more intense, with greater damages.”
She warned that more resilient infrastructure is needed “to adapt to a more turbulent climate”:
Recent storms show that society has not adapted to worsening climate conditions.
Countries must build more resilient infrastructure to adapt to a more turbulent climate. This will be costly, but far less costly than doing nothing.
Ultimately, only reducing greenhouse gas emissions will mitigate risks from extreme weather. But emissions are still rising year on year, committing the world to more warming and with it, more intense flooding and storm damage.”
Aviation analytics company Cirium said 1,070 flights scheduled to operate to or from airports in the UK or Ireland on Friday have been cancelled.
That is equivalent to 20% of all flights, reports the PA news agency.
The worst affected airports in terms of the number of cancellations are:
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Dublin (119 departures, 109 arrivals)
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Edinburgh (81 departures, 77 arrivals)
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Heathrow (50 departures, 58 arrivals)
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Glasgow (43 departures, 42 arrivals)
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has shared advice for passengers that may be affected by flight disruptions due to Storm Éowyn.
A spokesperson from the CAA, said:
Storm Éowyn is likely to bring considerable disruption to many looking to fly from UK airports today.
If a flight faces lengthy delays, airlines have a duty of care to look after their passengers, including providing food and drink, and accommodation if overnight.
We will not hesitate to take action against any airlines not following these guidelines.”
Guidance on cancellations and flight disruption can be found on its website and social media channels, it added.
According to the CAA, if your flight is significantly delayed, the airline is responsible for looking after you and should provide meals and accommodation if necessary. In the case of a cancellation, the airline must offer you a refund or alternative travel arrangements, it says.
The CAA adds that “airlines should proactively provide passengers with information about their rights when flights are disrupted”. But, it notes: “Compensation may not be payable if an airline can prove the delay or cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances and this may include extreme weather which affects the safe operation of the flight.”
Road closed in East Lothian due to overturned vehicles, says Police Scotland
Vehicles have been blown over in Scotland and roads in some areas are closed due to debris from Storm Éowyn, with a gust of 86mph recorded at Dundrennan in Dumfries and Galloway at 9am, reports the PA news agency.
Police Scotland said no motorists should travel in or to the red weather warning area. They said the A1 between Spott Roundabout and Cockburnspath, East Lothian, is closed due to a number of overturned vehicles. Emergency services are at the scene and people have been warned to avoid the area.
The A709 is closed on the Lockerbie side of Lochmaben in Dumfries and Galloway due to fallen trees between Lochmaben High Street and the Halleaths junction.
The A75 has closures at Collin bypass and Skyreburn Bridge, Dumfries and Galloway, due to fallen trees, as does the A76 at Newbridge, Leswalt High Road in Stranraer, the A746 at Glasserton Road, Newton Stewart, and the A709 at various places surrounding the Lockerbie area.
Road maintenance firm Bear Scotland shared an image of an overturned lorry on the A1 at Torness, reports the PA news agency.
Gale force winds and fallen trees have blocked the A77 at Minishant in Ayrshire, Scotland:
A gust of 93mph has been recorded at Aberdaron in Gwynedd, north Wales – the strongest gust so far today in the UK, the Met Office said.
Elsewhere, wind speeds have reached 92mph at Killowen, County Down in Northern Ireland; 87mph at Capel Curig in Conwy, north Wales; 86mph at Lake Vyrnwy in Powys, north Wales; 86mph at Dundrennan in Kirkcudbrightshire, south-west Scotland; 85mph at Thomastown in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland; and 85mph at Orlock Head in County Down, also in Northern Ireland.
The strongest gust ever recorded in the UK is 142 mph, at Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire in eastern Scotland, on 13 February 1989.
Lisa O’Carroll
Part of a gable wall in an apartment block in south Belfast has been blown down leaving a gaping wall at the attic area.
BBC reporter Kevin Sharkey posted this video showing bricks strewn across the forecourt and the hole in the wall.
The Met Office in Northern Ireland has reported winds of between 85mph and 90mph and says this level of wind will continue through to the afternoon.
Weather warnings for UK and Northern Ireland listed
Here are the weather warnings for various parts of the UK and Northern Ireland, plus the time period each covers:
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Red warnings are in place in Northern Ireland from 7am until 2pm on Friday, and for western and central areas of Scotland between 10am and 5pm, with speeds of up to 100mph likely along coasts.
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Amber wind warnings are also in place for Northern Ireland, the southern half of Scotland, northern England and north Wales between 6am and 9pm on Friday, and the northern half of Scotland from 1pm on Friday to 6am on Saturday. Winds reaching 60 to 70mph will be widespread in these areas, with up to 90mph possible on coastal areas.
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A further yellow wind warning covers the rest of UK for all of Friday.
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Yellow warnings for snow are in place in Scotland, from 6am to midnight, and rain in south-west England and Wales until 9am.
An aquarium in Galway, Ireland, has shared a video of flooding and strong winds, which you can view below.
The Galway Atlantaquaria posted an update on X, sharing that a member of staff had been on site overnight to monitor the animals. It added:
High time was just after 12, & flooding started by 2.30am. Matt is safe but this is some of the worst we’ve seen. Please stay indoors & stay safe.”
Millions urged to stay home as record breaking Storm Éowyn brings disruption
Millions of people have been urged to stay at home as 100mph winds pose a danger to life and cause travel disruption across the UK, reports the PA news agency.
About 4.5 million people received emergency alerts on their phones warning of the incoming storm in the “largest real-life use of the tool to date” on Thursday, reports the PA news agency, with more amber and yellow weather warnings for wind and rain issued for across the weekend.
Rail services, flights and ferries have been axed, with rare red weather warnings in place on Friday in Scotland and Northern Ireland as Storm Éowyn batters the country.
Train operator ScotRail has suspended all services across Scotland on Friday, saying it “would not be safe to operate passenger services”, with Calmac and Western Ferries services also cancelled because of weather conditions. Other services affected by the storm include Avanti West Coast, LNER, West Midlands Railway, Lumo, Transport for Wales and South Western Railway.
The storm is likely to damage buildings, uproot trees and cause power cuts, according to the Met Office alerts.
Northern Ireland’s first minister, Michelle O’Neill, urged people to stay at home, adding “we are in the eye of the storm now”, in an interview with BBC Radio Ulster.
As of Friday morning, more than 93,000 homes and businesses were left without power in Northern Ireland as the storm caused “widespread damage” to electricity networks, according to NIE Networks.
More than 715,000 homes, farms and businesses are without power across the Republic of Ireland after Storm Éowyn caused “unprecedented” damage to electricity infrastructure, the Irish Electricity Supply Board (ESB) said.
Hundreds of schools and nurseries across Scotland will be closed on Friday as first minister, John Swinney, warned residents not to travel.
Air travel has also been disrupted, with at least 334 flights cancelled across airports in Aberdeen, Belfast, Edinburgh and Glasgow, affecting about 50,000 passengers, according to analysis by the PA news agency of flight tracking website FlightRadar24.
Motorists in areas covered by red and amber weather warnings have been told to avoid travel “unless absolutely essential”. National Highways said the A66 between the A1M in North Yorkshire and M6 in Cumbria, as well as the A628 Woodhead Pass in Derbyshire and South Yorkshire, were both closed overnight due to strong winds. The M62 Ouse Bridge in East Yorkshire has also been closed to high-sided vehicles.
On Friday morning, a record-breaking wind speed of 114mph (183kmh) was measured in Mace Head, County Galway in Ireland, Met Éireann said. The previous highest wind speed on record was 113mph (182kmh) set in January 1945 in Foynes, County Limerick, according to the weather service.
In Wales, winds reached a top speed of 93mph in the Welsh village of Aberdaron, Gwynedd, on Friday morning, the Met Office said.
Red warnings are in place in Northern Ireland from 7am until 2pm on Friday, and for western and central areas of Scotland between 10am and 5pm, with speeds of up to 100mph likely along coasts, the forecaster said.
Amber wind warnings are also in place for Northern Ireland, the southern half of Scotland, northern England and north Wales between 6am and 9pm on Friday, and the northern half of Scotland from 1pm on Friday to 6am on Saturday. Winds reaching 60 to 70mph will be widespread in these areas, with up to 90mph possible on coastal areas. A further yellow wind warning covers the rest of UK for all of Friday.
Yellow warnings for snow are in place in Scotland, from 6am to midnight, and rain in south-west England and Wales until 9am.
RAC Breakdown advised motorists in warning areas to stay safe by parking away from trees, keep a firm grip on the steering wheel, avoid coastal routes and watch out for debris.
