Met Office warns of dangerous 'sting jet' phenomenon in record-breaking Storm Éowyn winds

Storm Éowyn's record-breaking winds person formed a unsafe 'sting jet', according to outer images from the Met Office, arsenic millions of Brits stay nether 'danger to life' upwind warnings

The Met Office says it spotted an highly uncommon "sting jet" processing successful outer images showing Storm Éowyn hitting the UK and Ireland.

The images amusement the sting pitchy forming disconnected the westbound seashore of Ireland successful the aboriginal hours of Friday morning. This is what is thought to person brought 114mph gusts to Mace Head successful Galway - provisionally the strongest winds ever recorded successful Ireland.

A sting pitchy is simply a tiny country of precise aggravated winds (often 100mph oregon more) that tin sometimes signifier successful almighty weather systems, according to the Met Office. Relative to the size of the storm, the sting pitchy is constrictive - often 30 miles crossed - and lone lasts 3 to 4 hours. The alleged Great Storm successful October 1987, which claimed 18 lives, is an illustration of a sting pitchy forming.

Several Met Office weather warnings are successful spot contiguous and implicit the coming days, including 2 rarely-seen reddish upwind warnings successful Northern Ireland and Scotland. The Northern Ireland informing expires astatine 2pm today, whereas the Scotland informing ends astatine 5pm. The Met Office says determination is simply a "danger to life" from flying debris successful these regions.

As good arsenic beardown winds, Storm Éowyn is expected to bring snowfall too. The Met Office was forced to contented caller snowfall and crystal warnings successful six regions contiguous - Central, Tayside & Fife; Grampian; Highlands & Eilean Siar; SW Scotland, Lothian Borders; Strathclyde; Northern Ireland. The informing successful Scotland is successful spot from midnight contiguous until 11am connected Saturday. In Northern Ireland, the informing is successful spot from 7pm contiguous until 10am tomorrow.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist Jason Kelly said this afternoon: "Storm Éowyn is present bringing precise beardown winds to parts of the UK. There is imaginable for gusts of 100mph successful exposed locations wrong the reddish informing area. Anyone successful these reddish and amber informing areas should perceive to proposal from section responders and support up to day with upwind warnings for their area."

Although the tempest is expected to easiness this evening, forecasters expect much upwind chaos to travel connected Sunday and Monday. Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Mark Sidaway said: "While the worst of the winds from Storm Éowyn volition easiness aboriginal connected Friday, Scotland volition proceed to spot gusty winds done Saturday arsenic the debased unit clears to the northeast. After a little calmer spell, different country of debased unit volition bring further beardown winds and dense rainfall done Sunday.

"The strongest winds volition beryllium focussed successful occidental parts, portion the wettest conditions volition apt beryllium crossed Wales, cardinal and confederate England. This debased unit volition not beryllium arsenic almighty arsenic Storm Éowyn but it could hamper the betterment efforts of responders successful immoderate of the impacted areas from Friday’s storm. Warnings could beryllium updated done the play and into adjacent week, truthful support up to day with the forecast."