Storm Éowyn Set to Bring ‘Weather Bomb’ to UK and Ireland

(Bloomberg) -- Storm Éowyn will bring a “weather bomb” to Ireland and the UK, unleashing destructive winds and heavy rain, the Met Office forecaster said.

People across Ireland were told to stay home Friday, with schools closing as severe weather warnings come into force. In the UK, major transportation disruption is expected, with trains canceled between the north of England and Scotland and authorities predicting wind damage, flooding and power outages.

The Met Office on Thursday elevated its alert for Northern Ireland to the red level, the first for the region since 2011. The wind warning starts at 7 a.m. Friday, with another red issued for southern Scotland from 10 a.m. Bursts of 100 mile (161 kilometers) per hour winds are possible in those areas, which could send debris flying and make travel nearly impossible.

The Irish service issued red wind warnings starting 2 a.m. Friday and covering all of the country through the day. It said 130 kilometer-per-hour (81 mph) gusts could make travel extremely dangerous.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist Paul Gundersen said red warnings are only used during extreme weather events that are “a likely danger to life” and forecast to cause severe disruptions to day-to-day life. “That is the case with Storm Éowyn,” he said in a statement.

An orange wind warning is still in effect starting 6 a.m. Friday other parts of Scotland, northern England and Wales. Hardest-hit areas in those regions will be the exposed coasts, which could see gusts of as much as 90 miles an hour. Other areas, including London, are under yellow alert.

Éowyn is also set to bring snow to parts of the UK, with as much as 25 centimeters (10 inches) forecast for the Scottish Highlands, the Met Office said. Snow warnings have also been issued for northern England.

The storm has been magnified by an Arctic blast that swept through the US earlier this week, wreaking havoc across the typically snow-less American South. That weather system gassed up the jet stream, feeding Éowyn.

(Updates with new red alerts issued for Northern Ireland in third paragraph.)

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