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
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.
Northern Ireland in ‘the eye of the storm right now’, says first minister O’Neill
Lisa O’Carroll
Northern Ireland is in “the eye of the storm right now” first minister, Michelle O’Neill, has said with a real threat to life and property, and more than 70 reports of trees down and almost 100,000 homes and premises without power.
Radar pictures issued by Met Éireann for the island of Ireland at 8.30am on Friday showed Storm Éowyn barrelling across Ulster after it moved northwards from the republic where record gusts of 113mph were recorded overnight.
Schools, colleges and the courts in Northern Ireland have been closed and flights closed as the storm moves across the Irish sea to Scotland.
Alliance party MP, Sorcha Eastwood, posted a photograph of a telegraph pole lifted from the ground by the force of the wind on Friday morning in Blaris.
The severe red alert weather warning remains in place from 7am on Friday until 2pm.
Assistant chief constable Davy Beck said there have been wind speeds in excess of 70mph.
“We’re seeing significant amounts of debris right across the road network,” he told BBC Radio Ulster. “The road network is dangerous and the message remains stay at home, stay safe and stay off the roads please.”
O’Neill told BBC NI:
We’re in the eye of the storm now. We are in the period of the red alert.
People can see for themselves, the wind has been very much picking up overnight.
I think the real message we want to get across to your listeners this morning is to please be ultra cautious, to please stay at home if you can and actually we will see how the storm will rage. But the scale of the storm, the level of wind that we’ve experienced across the island, which is something that’s never been seen before.”
Approx. 150,000 premises in Ireland at risk of water supply issues
Approximately 150,000 premises in Ireland are at risk of water supply issues due to power outages affecting the water network, reports the PA news agency.
Irish Water said the majority of these customers should still have water due to storage in reservoirs.
The agency said significant disruption is expected due to Storm Éowyn, adding that its crews will begin restoring supply when it is safe to do so.
In a statement, it added:
In areas where supply has been disrupted, most properties should have adequate storage in their attic tanks for hygiene purposes for at least 24 hours.
However customers are urged to conserve water where possible in order to protect supply while the outages are resolved.”
Here are some more images of disruption caused by Storm Éowyn today:
Lisa O’Carroll
Reporting from Dublin:
Met Éireann have a radar picture showing Storm Éowyn barrelling over Northern Ireland, the northern half of Ireland and Scotland at 8.30am on Friday.
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Scotland’s deputy first minister has urged Scots in the central belt to follow the advice not to travel.
Appearing on the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme, Kate Forbes said:
It is so important that people follow Police Scotland’s advice not to travel because if people stay at home and don’t travel then it means they don’t invite that risk to themselves.”
Forbes also warned that recovery from Storm Éowyn could “take longer than we all hope”.
“It is important our expectations are managed by how quickly things can return to normal and there may well be continuing disruption tomorrow,” she said
More than 715,000 homes and premises without power in Ireland as ESB describe outage as ‘unprecedented’
Lisa O’Carroll
Reporting from Dublin:
More than 715,000 homes are without power in Ireland.
The Electricity Supply Board (ESB) said the power cut was “unprecedented” and would only get worse.
It said:
We anticipate significant further outages as Storm Éowyn continues to track across the country.
Extreme, damaging and destructive winds associated with Storm Éowyn have continued to cause widespread and extensive damage to the electricity network across the country with over 715,000 homes, farms and businesses (as at 8am) without power.”
Shannonside Radio covering the midlands and border counties is reporting multiple incidents including a roof blown off a house in Fourmilehouse in county Roscommon. The occupants have not been injured, it reported.
Here are some pictures related to Storm Éowyn via the newswires:
Train operator Northern said many of its routes are closed because of severe weather.
Some lines are blocked between Manchester Oxford Road and Warrington Central because of a fallen tree.
Services on these routes are also being disrupted by severe weather:
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Between Bradford Forster Square and Ilkley.
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Bradford Forster Square and Skipton.
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Leeds and Bradford Forster Square.
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Leeds and Ilkley; and Leeds and Skipton.
PA news agency analysis of flight tracking website FlightRadar24 shows at least 334 flights have been cancelled across airports in Aberdeen, Belfast, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
According to the PA news agency, this means about 50,000 passengers have been affected.
The number of cancellations for each airport, per PA’s count, is:
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Belfast International: 16 departures and 16 arrivals
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Belfast City: 23 departures and 20 arrivals
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Edinburgh: 74 departures and 72 arrivals
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Glasgow: 40 departures and 41 arrivals
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Aberdeen: 25 departures and 25 arrivals
This breakdown includes 18 domestic flights that were scheduled to depart from one of the airports and arrive at another. These were only counted once in the total of 334, notes the PA news agency.
