Transport at the stop, closed schools and more than 800,000 households without electricity: the Eowyn storm sweeps Ireland on Friday morning with record winds and Scotland is preparing for its passage.
The entire island of Ireland is on red alert with strong winds. The Irish meteorology agency puts Eireann having warned that the storm would have the “force of a hurricane”, in certain regions of the west of the country.
“It’s a historical storm”Prime Minister Micheal Martin said on X, who arrived in power Thursday.
Eowyn is already breaking records: gusts were measured at 183 km/h near Galway, on the west coast, beyond the previous 1945 record. In this same area, the average wind speed reached 135 km/h , an unprecedented power, according to Met Eireann.
These winds and the rains that accompany them, lead to major disruptions, especially in transport, and more than 715,000 households, shops and businesses are without electricity.
“The electrical infrastructure has undergone extensive and important, unprecedented damage”, said in a press release the public electricity operator ESB, who has already warned that their restoration would take time.
“I call everyone to stay safe”said Micheal Martin, announcing an immediate crisis meeting with the emergency services, the army and the water and electricity operators.
At Cork, Shannon, Dublin airports, many flights were canceled. Dublin airport announced on X the abolition of around 230 flights on Friday morning.
The storm also affects the British province of Northern Ireland, where 93,000 homes are electricity, according to the operator Nie Networks.
The red alert with strong winds has been in effect since 07:00 GMT. This is the first time that such an alert has been decreed in the province since the implementation of this system in 2011.
“Cyclone eye”
The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, Michelle O’Neill, warned that the province was currently “In the eye of the cyclone”.
“We call on the population to stay safe, to be very careful and to take all precautions to make sure not to make unnecessary trips. Please simply stay at home if you can”She said on BBC Ulster radio.
Schools will not welcome students on Friday, trains and buses do not circulate.
The Eowyn storm must then move to Scotland, where a red alert is in force in certain regions and where the authorities are preparing.
Prime Minister John Swinney presided over a crisis meeting on Thursday afternoon. Parliament will not sit and schools are closed in most regions.
The rail operator Scotrail has canceled all its trains and air traffic is also disrupted at the airports of Edinburgh, Glasgow or Aberdeen.
The rest of the United Kingdom is also placed in a state of vigilance. The Environment Agency warned a risk of flooding in the south of England and the Midlands (center) in the coming days due to the expected bad weather.
This is the fifth storm striking Europe this season. The previous one, Darragh, had caused major disruptions in France in early December as well as in the United Kingdom, where she had left at least two dead.
Scientists regularly warn that climate change amplifies the destructive force of storms, cyclones, hurricanes and other typhoons on the whole planet.
The warmer oceans release more water vapor, which provides additional energy to storms, whose winds are intensifying. The warming of the atmosphere also allows them to retain more water, which promotes strong precipitation.
Storm storm storm eowyn Ireland strong winds
