For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
Storm Eowyn has broken records in Ireland after 114mph winds hit the island, the strongest since records have begun the Irish forecaster has said.
The Irish forecaster said that gust of 183kmh had been recorded at Mace Head, Co Galway, at 5am, which beat the previous record high of 182kmh (113mph) set in January 1945 in Foynes, Co Limerick.
Residents have been urged to stay at home while schools have been closed and people warned not to travel on Friday, as the severe weather is set to pose a danger to life in parts of the UK.
Rare red weather warnings are active in Northern Ireland from 7am with the Met Office warning of damage buildings, uprooted trees and power cuts.
The warning will spread to Scotland at 10am, while amber and yellow warnings are in place across the rest of the UK on Friday. The storm has already caused extensive and widespread damage to the electricity network, with power outages affecting 560,000 homes, farms and businesses in the Republic of Ireland, with more than 93,000 impacted in Northern Ireland.
British Airways has grounded more than 20 flights, while Dublin Airport has canelled 110 departures.
The Met Office said winds would pick up rapidly during Friday morning’, bringing peak gusts of 80-90mph, and up to 100mph along some exposed coasts.
2,500 people in Scotland without power with numbers likely to increase
More than 2,500 Scots are without power as a result of Storm Eowyn, according to a major energy provider.
The Scottish and Southern Electricity Network (SSEN) said on Friday that 2,621 customers are currently without power across the country – a number it said is likely to increase throughout the day.
As of 10am, SSEN says power has been restored to 6,568 customers who were also previously without electricity.
The company said it has “at least 10 times” the usual number of staff working in response to the storm.
2,621 customers are currently off supply, and SSEN says the figure is likely to rise throughout the day.
Ryanair flight diverts from Edinburgh back to Stansted
Ryanair flight RK596 from Stansted airport, Essex, to Edinburgh airport, reached the skies above the Scottish capital but was unable to land.
After circling over the Borders it returned to Stansted.
The Boeing 737 jet departed Stansted at 8.35am and touched down at the same airport two hours and 44 minutes later, at 11.19am.
Ryanair has cancelled its 1.55pm departure from Stansted to Edinburgh.
Pictured | Workers remove a fallen tree on Regent Road, Edinburgh
More than 1,000 flights cancelled across UK and Ireland
Aviation analytics company Cirium said 1,070 flights scheduled to operate to/from airports in the UK or Ireland on Friday have been cancelled.
That is equivalent to 20% of all flights.
The worst affected airports in terms of the number of cancellations are:
- Dublin (119 departures, 109 arrivals)
- Edinburgh (81 departures, 77 arrivals)
- Heathrow (50 departures, 58 arrivals)
- Glasgow (43 departures, 42 arrivals)
Met Office red weather warning issued for more of Scotland
The Met Office has extended its red weather warning to cover more of Scotland.
The warning, in place until 5pm on Friday, now covers as far south as Lockerbie on the south-west of Scotland.
The Met Office made the announcement at around 11am on X.
The latest of Storm Eowyn in pictures
Met Office reveal top wind gusts across UK
The Met Office has reported the latest wind gusts speeds for the UK, with gusts recorded up to 93mph in Aberdaron, Gwynedd.
Other strong gusts have been recorded in Killowen, with winds reaching 92mph, and Capel Curig in Wales which reached 87mph at 4am.
What comes after Storm Eowyn? Future storm names for 2025 revealed
The Met Office has already confirmed the storm names to be used across 2024 and 2025 – as the UK hit by Storm Bert.
The new storms list – first launched in 2015 – for each year generally runs from early September until late August the following year, coinciding with the beginning of autumn.
James, Lewis and Mavis are all included in the new list in honour of figures from the Met Office’s 170-year history.
Read the full article here:
Flights from Newcastle cancelled throwing football team plans in disarray
Newcastle’s travel plans ahead of Saturday’s Premier League trip to Southampton have been thrown into disarray by Storm Eowyn.
Dozens of flights due to depart from Newcastle Airport on Friday morning were cancelled as high winds battered the North East.
The squad have in the past travelled on the team coach in similar circumstances, but weather warnings suggest that may not be a viable alternative.
Howe said: “It is a long journey, and also there’s no guarantee with the wind and the conditions, and what you think might be an eight, nine-hour journey might turn into a 12, 13-hour journey.
“We’ve got to be careful, I think, in that respect, so I think it’s probably best that we look to do that.
“But nothing is guaranteed. We’ll seek advice and try to make the right decision.”
Gust of 93mph recorded in north Wales
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 February 13 1989.
Source: independent.co.uk
