LONDON (AP) – Ireland and Scotland are bracing for one of the heaviest storms in decades, with forecasters warning of danger to life and widespread disruption.
National forecasters for Ireland and the UK on Thursday issued the most severe weather warning for the impact of Storm Éowyn. The storm is expected to hit the coast of Ireland in the early hours of Friday morning before heading north-east towards Scotland. Forecasters are warning of life-threatening conditions as the storm packs wind gusts of up to 100 miles per hour.
Ireland's Met Éireann has issued a rare national red alert, the most severe, due to strong winds across the country from 2am to 10pm, warning of “extremely dangerous travel conditions” as well as “danger to life”. ” may occur. Outlook for “coastal flooding in low-lying and exposed areas”
Simon Harris, who is expected to take over as Ireland's prime minister later on Thursday, urged people to heed the warnings.
“The risk to life is extremely high and real,” he said. “You need to be careful. Don't travel. Stay away from the sea.”
The Met Office also issued a gale warning for Northern Ireland and central and south-west areas of Scotland on Friday.
The bureau's chief meteorologist, Paul Gundersen, said: “We reserve red alerts for the most severe weather events where there is a threat to life or severe disruption, including for Storm Éowyn.” Ta.
Gundersen said winds could gust to 80 to 90 mph over very wide areas at times, reaching 160 mph, especially on exposed beaches.
This is the first red warning issued for Northern Ireland since the Met Office moved to shock-based warnings in 2011. All schools in Northern Ireland have been advised to close on Friday.
The record wind gust in Northern Ireland is 194mph in County Down in January 1974.
The Met Office warning applies from 7am to 2pm in Northern Ireland and from 10am to 5pm in parts of southern Scotland.
The rest of the UK, England and Wales, will also face disruption, with all areas of the country expected to be under a single warning at some point on Friday.
Gundersen said: “Severe weather is still likely to occur in areas far from red alert areas, which could have a significant impact on travel plans and may cause power outages in some areas.'' It is important to keep this in mind.”
Dr Ambrosio Volonte, a senior research fellow in the Department of Meteorology at the University of Reading, said Éowyn's structure reflects some of the “most frightening storms in recent decades” and that its “predicted intensity is one of our most “It's firmly in the ranks of powerful storms.” I've experienced it before. ”
