Storm Éowyn will hit Ireland, Scotland and France this Friday January 24.
Météo-France describes it as a “meteorological bomb”.
This corresponds to a violent meteorological phenomenon forming very quickly.
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Storms, thunderstorms, floods… the weather is getting out of hand in France
Éowyn is no longer just a character from Lord of the Rings. It is also the name of the storm which is about to hit western Europe. While Ireland and Scotland will be the most affected, France is also expected to experience strong winds and heavy rainfall. Météo-France even describes this phenomenon as a “weather bomb”, a name reserved for certain storms with very specific characteristics.
An impressive drop in atmospheric pressure
Éowyn formed very quickly this Thursday, January 23 above the Atlantic Ocean. So quickly that Météo-France speaks of “explosive cyclogenesis”. “Certain depressions have the particularity of deepening very quickly and very strongly”explains Météo-France on its website (new window). This means that their atmospheric pressure drops by more than 24 hectopascals (hPa) in less than 24 hours. This is exactly what will happen to Éowyn who “should go from 970 hPa on Thursday” at 1 p.m. Paris time, “at 940 hPa Friday” at 7 a.m. It is precisely this calculation that justifies the term “weather bomb”.
The latter has already been used for several storms in France: Ciarán in October 2023, during which two people died, Eunice in February 2022, or even Alex in October 2020. All had caused significant damage and flooding in several countries of Europe.
But Éowyn's strength can also be explained by the weather across the Atlantic. “The arctic air present over North America will begin to spread rapidly over the western Atlantic. This will have the effect of exacerbating temperature contrasts, particularly in the depression formation zone. “ These temperature differences will therefore “strengthen considerably” the storm.
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Storm Éowyn: which places in France will it blow hard?
Gusts capable of exceeding 130 km/h are expected in the coming hours between Ireland and the north of England. Locally, they could even reach 150 km/h, before heading at a lower speed towards the Breton and Normandy coasts, or even Pas-de-Calais. The winds will then drop to 80 km/h, Météo-France anticipates.
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