Snow and ice warnings have been issued as a frosty blast strikes parts of the UK, in the wake of Storm Eowyn’s record-breaking wind speeds.
Travel chaos is expected to continue into the weekend after at least 1,070 flights were axed and 150,000 passengers affected on Friday.
A yellow snow warning will cover most of northern Scotland until close of Friday, while a snow and ice warning in Northern Ireland is in place until Saturday morning.
Into Saturday, the warnings will continue for large parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland. A Met Office ice warning will also be in place for much of England and Wales.
Earlier on Friday, a man in Ireland became the first confirmed storm-related death after a tree fell on his car at 5:30am at Feddyglass in Raphoe.
Wind speeds in Ireland topped 114mph in Co Galway on Friday, beating the country’s previous record of 113mph set in 1945.
The storm has also caused widespread damage to the electricity network, with one million people left without power across the UK and Ireland.
Yellow wind and rain warnings have been issued for Sunday going into Monday.
Key Points
- Mapped: Weather warnings in place for Friday evening
- More than one million without power across UK
- Man dies after tree falls on car in Ireland
- 1,070 flights axed and 150,000 passengers affected
- Met Office marks record breaking winds of 100mph in UK
- Storm Eowyn breaks Irish wind speed records as it reaches 114mph
Will take days to evaluate storm impact - Northern Irish police
20:29
,
Alex Croft
It will take days to properly evaluate the impact of Storm Eowyn, police in Northern Ireland have said.
No injuries have yet been reported in the aftermath of the storm.
Assistant chief constable Davy Beck, in charge of the storm response, said on Friday evening: “This was a really serious storm and I don’t think we yet fully appreciate the impacts of this storm.
“We’re only now starting to see the number of calls start to rise in respect of impacts, concerns for safety, and indeed, more and more reports in respect of roads blocked and issues as a consequence of that.
“So I think it’s going to be a number of days before we can fully understand the full impacts of this storm, but certainly this was a severe storm.”
Watch: Entire roof torn off building in Scotland
20:11
,
Alex Croft
Watch the dramatic moment an entire roof appears to be torn off a building in Scotland as a result of Storm Eowyn.
A reply to the footage posted on X said the building is in Wester Hailes, south west of Edinburgh, although this has not been verified.
“New builds” mental man. pic.twitter.com/NPuxU15lU3
— Chris wood (@chriswood1875x) January 24, 2025
Met Office forecast for days ahead
19:55
,
Alex Croft
Here is the Met Office’s forecast for the days ahead, as per chief meteorologist Jason Kelly.
“The influence of Storm Éowyn on the UK’s weather will diminish as it moves further north and east on Saturday morning, but there’s little respite in the conditions for some with the next area of low pressure arriving from the southwest on Sunday.
“While Sunday’s system doesn’t have the same strength as Eowyn, it will hamper some recovery efforts and bring further wind and rain, with the possibility of some flooding in places.
“10-20mm of rain will fall quite widely on Sunday in central and southern England, much of Wales and Northern Ireland, with 30-50mm possible over high ground. Thundery showers could top up totals later in the day for some.
“With this rain falling on saturated ground in many places, there’s a chance of flooding for some, with winds an accompanying hazard with the system.”
Storm Eowyn map: Where and when snow and 100mph winds will hit UK after Met Office weather warnings issued
19:35
,
Alex Croft
A man has died in Ireland as the hurricane force winds of Storm Eowyn continue to batter the British Isles, causing travel chaos and prompting danger to life warnings from forecasters.
Flights have been cancelled, roads closed and ferry services axed as winds surpassing 100mph hit parts of the UK and Ireland throughout Friday. Millions have also been left without power across the Isles due to the vicious storm.
A rare red weather warning has been lifted from Scotland and Northern Ireland, where Storm Eowyn damaged buildings, uprooted trees and caused power cuts. However, a danger to life alert remains in some areas due to the risk of flying debris, the Met Office says.
Five weather warnings are in place for Friday evening, including two amber wind warnings for northern England and Scotland, where gusts will reach up to 90mph.
See all the weather warnings in place from today until Monday:
In pictures: Rubble from collapsed wall after Storm Eowyn batters Scotland
19:21
,
Alex Croft
Met Office updates weather warning areas for Friday eve - graphic
19:03
,
Alex Croft
The Met Office has updated its weather warning areas for Friday evening.
An amber wind warning area has been reduced to cover just northern England and southern Scotland until 9pm on Friday.
A yellow wind warning has also been reduced to cover northern England, parts of Wales and all of Scotland until 11:59pm on Friday.
‘Once in a generation’ Storm Eowyn hits UK with 100mph winds
18:41
,
Alex Croft
Storm Eowyn has hit Britain and Ireland with “once in a generation” hurricane-force winds, cancelling more than 1,000 flights and leaving 250,000 homes without power as forecasters warn more is to come.
Residents in the worst-affected regions have described “crazy” weather conditions, as trees were felled, public transport was brought to a halt and high winds turned everyday objects into dangerous missiles. In Co Donegal, a man died after a tree fell on his car.
The Met Office issued a rare red warning in Scotland, with people urged to remain indoors as the severe weather posed a potential danger to life.
Holly Evans reports:
Mapped: Weather warnings in place for Friday evening
18:20
,
Alex Croft
With a record-breaking storm battering the UK, five Met Office weather warnings will remain in place for Friday evening. Here they are:
- An amber wind warning covering northern England and Wales, southern Scotland and Northern Ireland, until 9pm on Friday.
- A yellow wind warning covering all areas north of the Midlands and most of Wales, until 11:59pm on Friday.
- A yellow snow warning covering large parts of northern Scotland, until 11:59pm on Friday.
- An amber wind warning covering northern Scotland until 6am on Saturday.
- A yellow snow and ice warning covering Northern Ireland from 7pm on Friday until 10am on Saturday.
More than one million without power across UK
18:10
,
Alex Croft
More than one million people have been left without power as Storm Eowyn continues to batter the British Isles.
In the Republic of Ireland around 725,000 customers have been affected, while 283,000 are without power in Northern Ireland.
Around 100,000 households in Scotland are without power, officials confirmed after a meeting of the Scottish Government’s Resilience Room on Friday afternoon.
The National Grid said early on Friday afternoon that 4,150 properties were without power in the west Midlands, south west England and south Wales regions due to the storm.
More than 1,800 objects blocking roads across Northern Ireland
17:54
,
Alex Croft
More than 1,800 objects are blocking roads across Northern Ireland due to Storm Eowyn, the Department of Infrastructure has said.
There are a “significant” number of roads blocked due to fallen trees, branches and debris, the department said, adding that reopening the roads will take time.
“Staff are on standby to respond to incidents, but our response time is being affected by the adverse conditions and incidents will have to be prioritised accordingly. The safety of members of the public and our own staff is paramount,” a spokesman said.
Road users are urged to obey closed road signs and stay clear of damaged electricity equipment.
Storm Éowyn in pictures: Recovery teams set to work in Dublin
17:42
,
Alex Croft
Workers start to remove a fallen tree which crashed through the wall of Phoenix Park and on to Blackhorse Avenue in Dublin.
Man dies after tree falls on car in Ireland
17:31
,
Alex Croft
A man has died after a tree fell on his car in Co Donegal during Storm Eowyn, Irish police have said.
It is the first confirmed death as a result of the storm, which has brought winds of well over 100mph to areas of Ireland.
The incident occurred at 5:30am at Feddyglass in Raphoe, in the north-west of the country.
The driver of the car died and his body is still at the scene, police said, as forensic collision investigators look into the incident.
Gardai say they are working with the local authority and third party contractors to facilitate the removal of the man’s body.
The Met Office predicts a ‘windy evening’ across northern areas of the UK
17:26
,
Bryony Gooch
While red wind warnings may have expired, Storm Éowyn is continuing across the UK.
A windy evening to come as #StormÉowyn continues to affect northern areas of the UK ⚠️
— Met Office (@metoffice) January 24, 2025
Snow showers bring a risk of ice for Scotland and Northern Ireland
A band of rain will push across England and Wales, also possibly with a wintry nature over the hills pic.twitter.com/IFw0FMDvnS
Amber warnings remain in place til Saturday
17:08
,
Bryony Gooch
Scotland’s red wind warning is set to ease up around 17.00pm on Friday, but an amber wind warning will remain in place on Saturday. Meanwhile, Northern Ireland and other parts of England and Wales can expect a number of yellow warnings for snow and ice.
Storm Eowyn’s sting jet causes record breaking weather
16:58
,
Bryony Gooch
Met Office satellite imagery indicates a sting jet developed this morning which led to winds of over 100mph in Scotland and Ireland.
A sting jet is a small area of very intense winds (often 100mph or more) that can sometimes form in powerful weather systems crossing the UK. The sting jet is often narrow, 30 miles across, and only lasts 3 to 4 hours.
This led to the 114 mph gust at Mace Head - the strongest gust ever recorded in Ireland.
#StormÉowyn is proving to be a powerful system
— Met Office (@metoffice) January 24, 2025
Satellite imagery suggests a sting jet developed early this morning
This brought a 114 mph gust at Mace Head - provisionally the strongest gust ever recorded in Ireland
Learn more about sting jets here https://t.co/UYBI6l5unx pic.twitter.com/xPZEI79nNP
Met Office predicts ‘little respite’ as Storm Éowyn set to diminish
16:53
,
Bryony Gooch
Met Office Chief Meteorologist Jason Kelly said: “The influence of Storm Éowyn on the UK’s weather will diminish as it moves further north and east on Saturday morning, but there’s little respite in the conditions for some with the next area of low pressure arriving from the southwest on Sunday.
“While Sunday’s system doesn’t have the same strength as Eowyn, it will hamper some recovery efforts and bring further wind and rain, with the possibility of some flooding in places. 10-20mm of rain will fall quite widely on Sunday in central and southern England, much of Wales and Northern Ireland, with 30-50mm possible over high ground. Thundery showers could top up totals later in the day for some.
“With this rain falling on saturated ground in many places, there’s a chance of flooding for some, with winds an accompanying hazard with the system.”
Storm Éowyn in pictures: Waves break in Wales
16:47
,
Bryony Gooch
Storm Éowyn in pictures: The roof torn off from the Chimney Corner Hotel, outside Belfast
16:34
,
Bryony Gooch
Scottish Police issue warning to travellers
16:21
,
Bryony Gooch
Police Scotland have issued a warning not to travel to Dumfries and Galloway due to a red warning over the M74 and A75.
❌ Do not travel in Dumfries and Galloway.
— Police Scotland (@PoliceScotland) January 24, 2025
The red weather warning has been extended to cover the M74 and A75.
Around 11,000 homes are without power in Dumfries and Galloway, and the A75 is closed due to a number of incidents. pic.twitter.com/GeKWpE8aa6
First Minister John Swinney speaks out
16:17
,
Bryony Gooch
Following a meeting of the Scottish Government’s Resilience Room, First Minister John Swinney called Storm Éowyn an “exceptional weather event”, which is “causing significant impacts across Scotland, with multiple reports of fallen trees and blown over vehicles.”
He thanked the public for following Police Scotland’s advice not to travel, but added: “the storm is not over yet.”
He continued: “Even once the red weather warning expires, severe weather warnings for wind, snow and ice remain in place across much of the country tonight and into tomorrow morning. A high level of vigilance is still required.
“There are still too many lorries on the road and I urge all HGVs to follow Police Scotland advice not to travel during the red weather warning.”
Power outages across Scotland are expected to continue over the course of the day.
He added it would “take time” to recover power and transport services across the country, with conditions remaining too dangerous for recovery teams to operate just yet.
High volume of emergency calls in Scotland
16:03
,
Bryony Gooch
Scottish Fire and Rescue services have reported a high number of 999 calls and have now told citizens to only call the emergency services number of they are in immediate harm.
We are experiencing a high number of 999 calls. Please only dial 999 and ask for us where there is an immediate risk of harm.
— Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (@fire_scot) January 24, 2025
For fallen trees or obstacles that do not pose an immediate risk to the public or property, please contact your local authority. #StormEowyn pic.twitter.com/pJdaVYibkV
The strongest gusts: mapped
15:51
,
Bryony Gooch
As of 2pm, Drumalbin marks Storm Eowyn’s strongest gust of wind at 100mph.
Storm Éowyn in pictures: Waves crash the seafront in Oban
15:40
,
Bryony Gooch
Waves crash over the seafront, as Storm Eowyn hits Oban, Scotland.
Storm Eowyn blows off a cheese factory’s roof
15:30
,
Bryony Gooch
Cheshire Constabulary closed a road in Calveley after they were were called to Calveley Mill, Nantwich Road (A51), following reports that a roof had come off a building and fallen onto a car park and into the road.
Storm Éowyn in pictures: homes wrecked in Ireland
15:17
,
Bryony Gooch
A man inspects the damage after his wall fell down due to Storm Eowyn, a status red alert extreme weather warning according to the Irish meteorological service, in Galway, Ireland.
Strictly Come Dancing postponed
15:06
,
Bryony Gooch
The upcoming Strictly Come Dancing live show in Glasgow has been postponed due to Storm Éowyn, Craig Revel Horwood has announced.
As Storm Éowyn forces people to stay in doors, the Strictly judge said the show would be rescheduled for Sunday evening.
He wrote on his Instagram Story: “UPDATE. Sadly, due to the red weather warning in place tomorrow, the Friday evening performance of Strictly Come Dancing The Live Tour will be rescheduled to Sunday evening, January 26.
“Doors will open at 17.30 and the performance will start at 18.30.”
Storm Eowyn hits the Capital
14:57
,
Bryony Gooch
Storm Eowyn brings strong gusts of wind to London.
Rail round-up
14:50
,
Simon Calder
On a typically day around five million passengers take a train in the UK. Many of them will not have been able to complete their journeys today.
All Northern Ireland Railways and ScotRail trains are cancelled on Friday. TransPennine Express, Northern, LNER and CrossCountry have cancelled Anglo-Scottish trains.
Trains are not running north of Preston on the West Coast main line nor north of Newcastle on the East Coast main line. In addition, many rail lines in the southern half of Britain are blocked.
Damage to the overhead electric wires between Wolverhampton and Stafford means that all lines on a key stretch of the West Coast main line are closed.
Fallen trees have blocked lines between Derby and Sheffield, Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury and Kidderminster and Birmingham Snow Hill.
Record breaking winds in Scotland
14:46
,
Bryony Gooch
A gust of 100mph has been recorded at Drumalbin in South Lanarkshire in Scotland, the strongest gust so far today in the UK, the Met Office said
Red Wind Warning Update
14:38
,
Bryony Gooch
Northern Ireland’s Red Wind Warning has expired, but an Amber Warning remains in force this afternoon, the Met Office have said.
A Red Wind Warning remains in place across central and southern Scotland until 17.00pm today.
The Red Wind Warning across Northern Ireland has now expired, but an Amber Warning still remains in force this afternoon ⚠️
— Met Office (@metoffice) January 24, 2025
Please continue to take care and stay safe
Find the latest info https://t.co/QwDLMfS950 pic.twitter.com/zwEQunrZYK
Scenes from Storm Eowyn in Scotland
14:31
,
Bryony Gooch
Schools have been closed and people warned not to travel on Friday, as 100mph winds pose a danger to life in parts of the UK as Storm Eowyn hits the country.
Flight diversions hit Ryanair passengers
14:17
,
Simon Calder
At least four Ryanair flights to Scotland have been diverted as a result of high winds brought by Storm Eowyn. Passengers from Krakow to Glasgow endured two missed approaches before their plane was diverted to Manchester. Safety was not compromised at any point.
At Edinburgh, a Ryanair flight from Niederrhein in Germany was within 2,000 feet of landing before the pilots decided to return to the starting airport.
Approaching Edinburgh, a Ryanair flight from Bratislava diverted to London Stansted. A flight from Stansted to the Scottish capital turned around after being unable to land. At one point the tracking site Flightradar24 reported the Boeing 737 was heading for Cologne in Germany, but the plane made a turn while over the North Sea and returned to Stansted.
Top speed of 96mph recorded in Northumberland
14:00
,
Holly Evans
A top speed of 96mph has been recorded on Friday at Brizlee Wood in Northumberland, the Met Office has said.
This is slightly higher than the day’s previous top speed of 93mph measured at Aberdaron in Gwynedd, north Wales this morning.
Heavy winds and rain lash Galway Aquarium in 'worst weather ever seen‘
13:45
,
Holly Evans
Drivers urged to stay safe as weather warnings stretch into weekend
13:20
,
Holly Evans
RAC Breakdown advised motorists in warning areas to stay safe by parking away from trees, to keep a firm grip on the steering wheel, avoid coastal routes and watch out for debris.
Some 4.5 million people received emergency alerts on their phones warning of the incoming storm in the “largest real-life use of the tool to date” on Thursday.
More amber and yellow weather warnings for wind and rain have been issued across the weekend.
Several Scottish roads closed due to overturned vehicles and fallen trees
13:10
,
Holly Evans
The storm has caused disruption on Scottish roads, with the A1 between Spott Roundabout and Cockburnspath, East Lothian, closed due to a number of overturned vehicles.
The A709 was closed on the Lockerbie side of Lochmaben in Dumfries and Galloway due to fallen trees between Lochmaben High Street and the Halleaths junction.
The A75 had closures at Collin bypass and Skyreburn Bridge, Dumfries and Galloway, due to fallen trees, as does the A76 at Newbridge, Leswalt High Road in Stranraer, the A746 at Glasserton Road, Newton Stewart, and the A709 at various places surrounding the Lockerbie area.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has 10 flood alerts and three flood warnings in place.
UK airports cancel one in five flights
12:55
,
Holly Evans
One in five flights from airports in the UK and Ireland was cancelled on Friday as Storm Eowyn caused disruption at several major airports.
Aviation analytics company Cirium said at least 1,070 flights scheduled to operate to, from or between the countries’ airports were axed.
That is equivalent to 20% of all flights, affecting around 150,000 passengers.
Dublin was the worst affected airport in terms of cancellations, with 119 departures and 109 arrivals.
That was followed by Edinburgh (81 departures, 77 arrivals), Heathrow (50 departures, 58 arrivals) and Glasgow (43 departures, 42 arrivals).
Hundreds of passengers also spent hours on flights which returned to their points of departure after being unable to land at their planned destinations.
In pictures: Ambulance attend crash scene in Durham
12:31
,
Holly Evans
Multi-mullion euro playing facility blown away
12:22
,
Holly Evans
A multimillion-euro indoor playing facility in Co Mayo has been blown down during the storm.
Connacht GAA’s Air Dome was destroyed as winds ripped through the facility in Bekan, near Ballyhaunis.
The NUI Galway dome, which opened in 2020, hosted indoor games for all levels and ages during all weather conditions.
In a statement, Connacht GAA said: “Unfortunately, the University of Galway Connacht GAA Air Dome was significantly damaged by Storm Eowyn overnight, thankfully no-one was hurt.
“Thanks to everyone for the support, it is our full intention to rebuild this magnificent facility as soon as possible.”
60-year-old trees split in half as strong winds batter Galway
12:10
,
Holly Evans
Several trees, which have been part of a Galway community for more than 60 years, have been uprooted or split in half because of “crazy” winds caused by Storm Eowyn.
Cathriona Heffernan, 25, from Galway city in Ireland, described the strong winds as “scary” after she captured a video of fallen trees, which she said has been part of the community for more than six decades.
The sports scientist said: “(I) got woken up before the red alert even started, the winds were crazy.
“Those trees have been there 60 years and outdate the houses even. It’s sad seeing them down all the same but just glad no damage was caused by them.”
She said she saw five fallen trees, which left large holes in the ground from where they were uprooted by the strong winds.
“One of them split right in half so it’s scary to think just how strong the wind was to be able to do that.”
2,500 people in Scotland without power with numbers likely to increase
11:57
,
Holly Evans
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
11:56
,
Alice Reynolds
Ryanair flight RK596 from Stansted airport, Essex, to Edinburgh airport, reached the skies above the Scottish capital but was unable
