LONDON (AP) – Millions of people in Ireland and the north of Britain were urged to stay home Friday as Hurricane Force winds had faulty power networks and caused widespread travel disruption. Ta.
Forecasters have issued a rare 'red' weather warning, meaning danger to life, across the island of Ireland and across central and south-west Scotland.
Ireland was hit by the strongest wind gusts since World War II of 114 pH (183 kph) as the winter storm rolled in from the Atlantic Ocean before hitting Scotland.
Schools have been closed and trains, ferries and more than 1,000 flights have been canceled in the Republic of Ireland and the UK. , ro. However, the storm is moving quickly and should clear the Scottish coast by the end of Friday.
Part of a house wall was damaged by the winds of Storm Éowyn that hit the country in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Friday, January 24, 2025. (AP photo)
City centers such as Dublin in Ireland, Belfast in Northern Ireland and Glasgow in Scotland looked a lot like the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. For those who left their homes and got caught in one of the gusts of wind, it was a struggle to stay upright.
“If you can, please stay at home,” First Minister for Northern Ireland Michelle O'Neill told BBC Radio Ulster. “We're in the eye of the storm right now. We're in the red alert era.”
The Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh closed its doors, with Scotland's First Minister John Swinney saying: People shouldn't travel. ”
More than 700,000 homes in Ireland and around 100,000 homes in Northern Ireland were without power due to “unprecedented, extensive and widespread” damage to power infrastructure, the Irish Electricity Supply Board said. More than 20,000 customers in Scotland are also reported to have lost power.
HELENSBURGH, SCOTLAND – JANUARY 24: The roof of Helensburgh Swimming Pool is damaged during Storm Eowyn in Helensburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom on January 24, 2025. The Met Office has issued a rare red warning for wind in Northern Ireland, as well as central and south-west Scotland. These are accompanied by wide warnings and yellow warnings for winds, and yellow warnings for rain and snow across the UK. (Photo: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
Ireland's meteorological office, Eireann, said wind gusts of 114 mph were recorded at Mace Head on the west coast, breaking the record of 113 mph (182 kph) set in 1945.
Wind speeds in Scotland were expected to fall slightly throughout the day, but were still very high and authorities urged people to remain vigilant.
Some of the storm's energy came from a system that brought historic snowfall along the U.S. Gulf Coast, said Jason Nicholls, lead international forecaster for the private weather company Accuweather.
Storms are propelled by jet streams and are powered by energy from the upper levels of the atmosphere. A rapid drop in air pressure is expected, potentially turning Éowyn into a bomb cyclone. This occurs when the storm pressure drops to 24 millibars in 24 hours.
Scientists say it's difficult to pinpoint the exact impact of climate change on storms, but all storms are unusually strong due to human-released pollutants such as carbon dioxide and methane. It's happening in an atmosphere that's getting warmer faster.
“As the climate warms, we can expect these storms to become even more damaging and stronger,” said Hayley Fowler, professor of climate change impacts at the University of Newcastle.
