[The United Kingdom and Ireland are preparing for a potentially devastating storm, known as Storm Éowyn, which is expected to bring gusty winds, heavy rain, and snow to the region. Authorities have issued red and yellow warnings for the storm, which is expected to cause significant damage and disruption.
The Irish Meteorological Service has issued a red warning for wind, saying that gusts could exceed 80 miles per hour, while the UK’s Met Office has also placed parts of Northern Ireland under a red warning for the first time since 2011. All schools in both Ireland and Northern Ireland will be closed on Friday, and public transport in Ireland will not be running.
The storm is expected to cause potentially severe damage, including flying debris and fallen trees causing extremely dangerous driving conditions. Ambrogio Volonté, a senior research fellow at the University of Reading, said that Storm Éowyn could “rival the ferocity” of previous storms that claimed lives and left behind severe damage.
Storm Éowyn is an extratropical “bomb” cyclone that has formed in the North Atlantic and intensified rapidly. Nicholas Leach, a postdoctoral weather and climate researcher at Oxford University, said that bomb cyclones are typically the most impactful winter storms in Northern Europe. While the impacts of the climate crisis on extratropical cyclones remain uncertain, some studies suggest that the strongest storms, like Éowyn, may be getting stronger with climate change.
The storm is expected to move away from the UK on Saturday, but yellow wind warnings remain in place in the north of the country for Saturday morning and early afternoon. Residents are advised to stay indoors and take necessary precautions to protect themselves from the storm’s effects.
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