Red alert for Storm Eowyn as Met Office issues rare 'danger to life' warning
by Catherine Addison-Swan · ChronicleLiveThe Met Office has upgraded its weather warnings for Storm Eowyn, with rare red alerts having been issued for severe weather in parts of the UK this Friday, January 24.
A red warning has been put in place for southern Scotland, including Edinburgh and Glasgow as well as much of the area close to the Northumberland border, from 10am until 5pm on Friday, with the Met Office saying that Eowyn will cause "very dangerous" conditions and significant disruption. A second red warning also covers the entirety of Northern Ireland from 7am until 2pm on Friday.
This is in addition to multiple other weather warnings across the entire country, including an amber alert in force for the whole North East region for strong winds of up to 80mph from 6am until 9pm on Friday. Eowyn is also expected to bring heavy rain and snow, with stormy weather forecast to continue into the weekend.
Explaining the red warnings, Met Office chief meteorologist Paul Gundersen said: "We reserve the issuing of Red Warnings for the most severe weather which represents a likely danger to life and severe disruption, and that is the case with Storm Eowyn.
"While it will be widely very windy on Friday, with additional hazards from rain and snow, the strongest winds and most significant impacts are likely in Northern Ireland and central and southwestern parts of Scotland within the Red Warning areas, where winds could gust 80-90mph quite widely for a time, and potentially up to 100mph for exposed coasts in particular."
Storm Eowyn is described as a "multi-hazard event", with areas under the Red Warnings advised that flying debris poses a danger to life, while at the coast large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts will pose an additional risk of injuries. The Met Office has warned that driving conditions will be "very dangerous", with fallen trees likely to block roads.
Roads, bridges and railway lines are expected to close in these areas of Scotland and Northern Ireland, with delays and cancellations expected on public transport such as bus, train and ferry services, as well as flights. Damage to buildings is expected with roofs blown off and power lines brought down with Eowyn hits, and power cuts are also likely.
Latest weather maps from the Met Office show that wind gusts will pick up sharply across the North East in the early hours of Friday morning, quickly exceeding 50mph in most parts of the region by 6am. Gales will continue to strengthen throughout the morning, with the strongest winds forecast to hit by midday.
At 12pm on Friday, the most northern areas of Northumberland are expected to see the biggest impact, with gusts set to reach 79mph in Berwick. However, the rest of the North East will not escape the storm, with Hartlepool down at the other end of the region close to the County Durham border forecast to see 67mph winds at midday.
Anyone in the North East planning to travel either within the region or to other parts of the country should be aware of the dangers posed by Storm Eowyn, as well as the likelihood that their plans will be disrupted. LNER has already advised passengers that no trains will be operating north of Newcastle in either direction from 11am on Friday.
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