Schools have been advised to shut and people told not to travel in areas covered by a rare red weather warning for wind as “dangerous” Storm Eowyn is set to batter the UK. The Met Office has issued warnings for wind across the UK, with the worst of Storm Eowyn expected to strike from the early hours of Friday across Scotland and Northern Ireland, where winds could reach up to 100mph.
Forecasters say flying debris could result in danger to life and “very dangerous” driving conditions because of fallen trees. Scottish First Minister John Swinney told the country’s Parliament on Thursday that people in areas covered by the red weather warning should not travel, while Stormont’s Education Minister Paul Givan said the Education Authority had advised all schools in Northern Ireland to close on Friday.
The warning is in place in Northern Ireland from 7am to 2pm on Friday, and in parts of Scotland between 10am and 5pm. Amber weather warnings for wind have been issued for northern England from 6am until 9pm, and a yellow weather warning covers most of southern England for the whole of Friday.
Met Office chief meteorologist Paul Gundersen said on Thursday: “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 south-western 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.”