Storm Éowyn – rare red ‘danger to life’ warning issued
Storm Éowyn is set to hit the UK on Friday, bringing damaging and disruptive winds, along with heavy rain and hill snow in the north. For some parts of the UK, it will not only be the most powerful storm so far this winter, but the strongest storm in years.
A rare red ‘danger to life’ warning issued for Storm Éowyn, with gusts up to 100mph on Friday. pic.twitter.com/XFOZFPdoUP
— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) January 23, 2025
Ahead of the storm’s arrival, people are being advised not to travel, with transport services suspended and schools closed.
The storm is developing and intensifying quickly over the Atlantic Ocean, being driven by a powerful jet stream around 30,000ft in the sky. This jet stream is being turbo-boosted by a big temperature contrast between cold and warm air over North America.

Rare red warning
A rare red ‘danger to life’ warning has been issued by the Met Office for Friday, covering Northern Ireland from 7am – 2pm, along with central and southwestern parts of Scotland from 10am – 5pm.

Gusts in these areas are widely expected to reach 80-90mph, with some coasts and hills seeing 100mph. What will make this storm particularly impactful is that it is hitting in the daytime.
Amber and yellow warnings
As well as the red warning, amber and yellow warnings cover the rest of the UK on Friday, where gusts of wind will widely reach 40-70mph, with the strongest winds towards the north and west.
Coasts and hills will see even stronger gusts, with winds touching 80-90mph at times.

Even though the winds won’t be as strong as in the red warning areas, there will still be disruption.
Storm impacts
The storm will bring several significant impacts when it hits. There’ll be major disruption to travel and power supplies, damage to trees and buildings, and dangerous waves around the coasts.
On top of this, there’ll also be a spell of heavy rain sweeping northwards, which could cause some localised flooding – adding to the problems created by the strong winds.

Some snow is likely to fall for a few hours over the hills and mountains in the northern half of the UK, although it is only expected to cause disruption across northern Scotland.
More wind and rain on Sunday
The worst of the winds from Storm Éowyn will have cleared Scotland by early on Saturday morning, leaving all parts of the UK with much lighter winds and a mix of sunshine and showers.
However, the quieter weather will be short-lived, as another area of low pressure brings more wind and rain during Sunday.
Thankfully, the winds on Sunday won’t be as strong as on Friday, but with a clean-up operation likely ongoing, there is still the potential for some further disruption.
In the meantime, it’s worth factoring the severe weather into your plans, and keeping a close eye on the forecast, as the warnings may be updated further.
Read more from Liam Dutton:
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UK snow: amber warning for up to 40cm this weekend