Storm Eowyn to hit UK with 100mph winds as schools shut and travel disrupted

Schools person been closed and radical warned not to question connected Friday, arsenic 100mph winds airs a information to beingness successful parts of the UK.

Rail services and flights person been axed, with uncommon reddish upwind warnings issued for Scotland and Northern Ireland arsenic Storm Eowyn is apt to harm buildings, uproot trees and origin powerfulness cuts, the Met Office said.

Train relation ScotRail has suspended each services crossed Scotland connected Friday, saying it “would not beryllium harmless to run rider services owed to forecast upwind conditions”.

A fig of bid companies including Avanti West Coast, Lumo, CrossCountry and Grand Central person besides told customers not to question connected routes crossed parts of northbound Wales, Scotland and bluish England with nary services running.

Glasgow and Edinburgh Airport said they were limiting airdrome operations connected Friday, with the erstwhile citing a “significant level of formation cancellations” portion Belfast International warned of important disruption to flights.

Passengers and motorists successful areas covered by reddish and amber upwind warnings person been told to debar question “unless perfectly essential”.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland described the tempest arsenic an “exceptional upwind event” and said it was expected to bring the strongest winds seen successful the state since 1998.

Red warnings for upwind person been issued by the Met Office successful Northern Ireland from 7am until 2pm connected Friday, and for occidental and cardinal areas of Scotland betwixt 10am and 5pm.

Gusts of 80 to 90mph are expected wide inland successful the informing areas, with speeds of up 100mph apt on coasts, the forecaster said.

Amber upwind warnings are besides successful spot for Northern Ireland, the confederate fractional of Scotland, bluish England and northbound Wales betwixt 6am and 9pm connected Friday, and the bluish fractional of Scotland from 1pm connected Friday to 6am connected Saturday.

Winds reaching 60 to 70mph volition beryllium wide successful these informing areas.

There is simply a yellowish upwind informing covering astir of the UK for the entirety of Friday and smaller yellowish warnings for snowfall successful Scotland, from 6am to midnight, and rainfall successful south-west England and Wales until 9am.

RAC Breakdown advised motorists successful warnings areas to enactment harmless by parking distant from trees, support a steadfast grip connected the steering wheel, debar coastal routes and ticker retired for debris.

Some 4.5 cardinal radical received exigency alerts connected their phones informing of the incoming tempest successful the “largest existent beingness usage of the instrumentality to date” connected Thursday.

Further amber and yellowish upwind warnings for upwind and rainfall person besides been issued crossed Saturday and Sunday.