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Stay at home warnings as risk-to-life storm set to batter UK

Adam Durbin
BBC News
Watch: The latest forecast as Storm Éowyn causes red weather warning

Millions of people have been urged to stay at home on Friday as Storm Éowyn is set to bring potentially life-threatening winds to the north and west of the UK.

Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland are set to experience the worst disruption, where the Met Office has issued red weather warnings which means there is a danger to life from winds gusting at up to 100mph.

Schools will be closed in Northern Ireland and much of central Scotland on Friday, while travel is also expected to be disrupted.

Away from the areas expected to be worst-hit by Storm Éowyn less severe amber and yellow warnings for both wind and rain have been issued, with 11 warnings in place for the UK on Friday and Saturday.

Red is the most serious weather warning the Met Office can issue, meaning dangerous weather is expected and people are urged to take action to keep themselves and others safe.

The red warning for the whole of Northern Ireland will be in force from 07:00 GMT to 14:00 on Friday, affecting the morning rush hour.

Bus and train services have been suspended in the country, while all schools have been advised to close and Belfast International airport is warning of significant disruption to flights.

In a message to customers, supermarket chain Tesco said all its shops in Northern Ireland would be closed on Friday - adding that home deliveries would be cancelled too.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland said the storm was an "exceptional weather event" and was expected to bring the strongest winds experienced in the region since 1998.

The Irish Republic's weather service Met Éireann has also issued severe red weather warnings amid the potential for "hurricane force winds" - with BBC Weather also saying it could be Ireland's storm of the century.

Ferry operators including Irish Ferries, Stena Line, and Calmac have had to cancel numerous crossings on Friday because of conditions in the Irish Sea and the west of Scotland.

The storm is due to move east through Friday morning so a red warning is in place across Scotland's central belt, including its biggest cities Glasgow and Edinburgh, from 10:00 to 17:00.

Schools in at least 20 local authorities - covering most of central Scotland - will be closed on Friday.

ScotRail has confirmed all rail services in Scotland will be suspended on Friday, adding that the closure was to ensure the safety of customers and staff.

Train operators Avanti, LNER, Lumo, CrossCountry, and Grand Central, TransPennine Express and Northern have also issued warnings not to travel in the north of England and north Wales on Friday.

Glasgow and Edinburgh airports said they would be limiting operations on Friday. As of 03:00 GMT, almost all departures and arrivals from both airports through Friday morning and afternoon were listed as cancelled.

The AA urged drivers travelling in red weather warning areas to consider whether a journey is necessary, and if not to postpone it.

Across the UK winds will rapidly increase from west to east on Friday morning into the afternoon with peak gusts of 80-90mph (129-145km/h).

There will likely be a large number of trees blown over with widespread disruption to travel with roads badly affected, and flights, trains and ferries will be subject to cancellations.

Power cuts are also likely, some of which could last for a number of days.

National Highways said the A66 between North Yorkshire and Cumbria and the A628 between Flouch and Hollingworth would both be closed due to strong winds.

The M48 Severn Bridge in South Gloucestershire will also be closed, with traffic diverted over the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge, while the Tamar Bridge on the A38 between Devon and Cornwall is closed to high-sided and other restricted vehicles.

A satellite image of Storm Éowyn approaching the UK on Thursday
A satellite image of Storm Éowyn approaching the UK on Thursday

There are 11 UK warnings currently issued:

  • red warning for wind for Northern Ireland from 07:00 until 14:00 on Friday
  • red warning for wind for Scotland's central belt from 10:00 until 17:00 on Friday
  • amber warning for wind across all of Scotland, north-east England, north-west England and Northern Ireland from 06:00 to 21:00 on Friday
  • amber warning for wind across parts of Scotland from 13:00 on Friday to 06:00 on Saturday
  • yellow warning for wind across most of the country from midnight until 23:59 on Friday
  • yellow warning for rain in parts of Wales, the South West and West Midlands from midnight to 09:00 on Friday
  • yellow warning for wind in parts of the Midlands, east of England, London and South East England from 05:00 to 15:00 on Friday
  • yellow warning for snow in parts of Scotland, in parts of the North East, North West from 06:00 until 23:59 on Friday
  • yellow warning for wind in parts of Scotland from midnight until 15:00 on Saturday
  • yellow warning for wind for the western side of England, all of Wales and Northern Ireland and south-west Scotland, from 08:00 until 15:00 on Sunday
  • yellow warning for rain for the south-east and south-west, Wales, Midlands, East of England and North West from 08:00 on Sunday until 06:00 Monday

Storm Éowyn is the fifth named storm of the season. It has been caused by powerful jet stream winds pushing low pressure towards the UK and Ireland over the Atlantic Ocean - after a recent cold spell over North America.