The Met Office has recorded gusts of over 90mph in Northern Ireland (NI) and northern Wales this morning (January 24), as Storm Éowyn continues to wreak havoc across the UK and Ireland.
A red weather warning for very strong winds has been in place across the whole of NI from 07:00 until 14:00 today and from 10:00 to 17:00 in Scotland.
Central Scotland, Tayside, Fife, the Lothian borders and Strathclyde are among the Scottish locations currently battling the worst of Storm Éowyn, with widespread disruption to services reported across the area.
Scottish Power confirmed that around 20,000 of its customers have lost electricity in central and southern areas while the Scottish and Southern Electricity Network reported that 2,621 of their customers are without power due to the extreme weather conditions.
Both companies are predicting these numbers to increase throughout the day as the winds continue to wage.
Ireland took the brunt of the storm in the early hours of this morning, with a peak recorded wind gust of 114mph at Mace Head, which Met Éireann, the Irish national met service, confirmed was a national windspeed record for Ireland.
Storm Éowyn is forecasted to move north eastwards across Britain later today before clearing later tonight, with amber and yellow wind warnings in place across the rest of the UK until 21:00 today.
This is expected to bring a spell of very strong west to southwesterly winds, with peak gusts of 60-70mph inland, 70-80mph in other areas, and 80-90mph along more exposed coasts and hills.
Storm Éowyn
Met Office deputy chief meteorologist, Mark Sidaway, said: “While the worst of the winds from Storm Éowyn will ease later on Friday, Scotland will continue to see gusty winds through Saturday as the low pressure clears to the northeast.
“After a brief calmer spell, another area of low pressure will bring further strong winds and heavy rain through Sunday. The strongest winds will be focused in western parts, while the wettest conditions will likely be across Wales, central and southern England,” he said.
“This low pressure will not be as powerful as Storm Éowyn but it could hamper the recovery efforts of responders in some of the impacted areas from Friday’s storm”.
Authorities across the UK are urging people to refrain from traveling during the course of the weather warnings, particularly in the locations categorised as “red” where a “danger to life” is evident.
Assistant chief constable with the PSNI, Davy Beck said: “Storm Éowyn represents an exceptional weather event and is expected to bring sustained windspeeds of up to 100mph to our shores.
“We have declared this a major incident and a red weather alert will be in effect across all areas of Northern Ireland. The public is urged to take the dangers posed by this storm seriously.
“There is expected to be serious disruption across our road network, public transport, schools, health services and other public services. The message from police is do not travel, remain indoors and stay safe.”
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland has also issued advice to farmers and livestock owners across NI to help mitigate the impact of Storm Éowyn. This includes:
- Ensure livestock are in a sheltered, secure area away from trees;
- Secure all loose objects that may be blown around the farmyard;
- Close and secure all doors, gates and windows;
- Check and test backup generators and equipment, never use stand by generators indoors, as the fumes from the engine can be lethal;
- Do not attempt to repair damage while the storm is in progress;
- Animals may behave erratically during high winds and extra care should be take when working with or moving stock;
- Once the storm has passed, when checking the farm and livestock, tell someone where you are going, how long you will be and wear appropriate, high visibility clothing.
Birdkeepers are also asked to be vigilant during the weather warning as flooding or damage to hen houses can increase the risk of an avian influenza incursion.
They have also reminded farmers that all clean up and repair works must be undertaken by qualified professionals after the storm has passed.
