People are being told to stay in doors as the Met Office has issued a rare red weather warning as Storm Eowyn is set to bring winds of 100mph.
The rare weather warning has been issued for Northern Ireland and said Storm Eowyn will bring widespread conditions.
Northern Ireland will be impacted from 7am to 2pm on Friday with strong winds and areas in Scotland will see unsettled weather from 10am to 5pm.
Storm Eowyn could bring falling trees on roads due to “very dangerous flying conditions,” power cuts and damage to buildings.
The Met Office has warned “roads, bridges and railway lines closed, with delays and cancellations to bus, train, ferry services and flights.”
European storm forecasters Estofex has issued a level 2 alert on Thursday, warning there is a “risk of a few tornados.”
“A strong event cannot be ruled out,” they said.
“Given rapid translation of thunderstorms, any tornado could be long-tracked… The main tornado risk seems to evolve along and [south] of a Bristol-London line.”
Across the rest of the UK there is yellow and amber warnings for wind and there is warnings of flying debris and a danger to life on the coast.
Met Office Chief Meteorologist Paul Gundersen said: “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 Éowyn.
“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 southwestern parts of Scotland within the Red Warning areas, where winds could gust 80-90 mph quite widely for a time, and potentially up to 100 mph for exposed coasts in particular.”
A Met Office spokesman said, “Very strong winds associated with Storm Eowyn causing very dangerous conditions with widespread disruption and significant impacts expected.”
The Met Office added, “Storm Éowyn will move across the northwest of the UK on Friday, clearing to the northeast on Friday night.
“This will bring a spell of very strong west to south-westerly winds, with peak gusts of 60-70mph fairly widely inland, 70-80mph in some areas, and 80-90mph along more exposed coasts and hills (perhaps even higher in a few locations).
“It should be noted that there may be a slight reduction in wind strength for a time as the centre of Storm Éowyn passes overhead, this most likely in parts of Northern Ireland and western Scotland, before winds rapidly increase again. Winds will gradually ease later on Friday.”
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