Met Office red weather warnings for wind brought by Storm Éowyn.
The First Minister has urged people to follow Police Scotland advice not to travel tomorrow (Friday 24 January).
The Scottish Government’s Resilience Room (SGoRR) has been activated ahead of the red weather warning for wind from 1000 until 1700 tomorrow, covering parts of Dumfries & Galloway and the Scottish Borders, all of Strathclyde and the Lothians & Borders, as well as the Forth Valley and southern parts of Fife. A wider amber warning for high winds covers much of Scotland and a yellow warning for snow in parts of Scotland has also been issued.
Storm Éowyn will bring dangerous conditions and disruption throughout the country, including danger to life from flying debris, large waves and structural damage, such as roofs blown off and power lines brought down.
Transport routes and travel services are expected to be affected for a prolonged period and while for individual local authorities to decide, a majority of schools are expected to be closed. NHS boards are standing up local business continuity arrangements. This will include communications with patients and staff. Some NHS and social care services are expected to be disrupted.
SGoRR met this afternoon to assess measures in place. It was chaired by First Minister John Swinney and attended by the Deputy First Minister, and Cabinet Secretaries for Health; Education; Transport; Finance and Local Government; Rural Affairs and Islands; and Net Zero and Energy. They were joined by representatives from the Met Office, Police Scotland, Transport Scotland, SEPA, transport and utilities companies and resilience partners.
First Minister John Swinney said:
“The Met Office has, this morning, issued a very rare red weather warning for Storm Éowyn tomorrow. Their advice is clear that potential impacts include danger to life, structural damage to property, and transport and power disruptions.
“Police Scotland have made it clear that people should not travel in affected areas, and local services including schools are likely to be significantly impacted.
“The government, of course, is ready to respond. SGORR – our resilience and emergency system – was activated this morning to co-ordinate help and to support Scotland’s front-line responders, including police fire services and the ambulance service.
“Red weather warnings like this are very rare. Our message is simple, please follow the advice from the Met Office and the police.
“Please look out for each other and your neighbours during this time. Take this seriously and stay safe.”
Chief Superintendent Hilary Sloan Head of Police Scotland Road Policing said:
-“Our advice throughout the duration of the red weather warning is not to travel, as the conditions outside and on the road network could be extremely hazardous and put you at risk.
“Please keep tuning into media broadcasts and following updates from Traffic Scotland and Police Scotland until the weather has improved.”
Met Office Chief Meteorologist Paul Gundersen said:
“We reserve the issuing of Red Warnings for the most severe weather which represents a likely danger to life and severe disruption, and that is the case with Storm Éowyn.
“While it will be widely very windy on Friday, with additional hazards from rain and snow, the strongest winds and most significant impacts are likely in Northern Ireland and central and southwestern parts of Scotland within the Red Warning areas, where winds could gust 80-90 mph quite widely for a time, and potentially up to 100 mph for exposed coasts in particular.
“Storm Éowyn is a multi-hazard event, with snow likely for some, rain for many and strong winds for much of the UK. As a result, a number of weather warnings have been issued, with all parts of the UK covered by one warning at some point on Friday.”
Background
Advice on preparing for severe weather can be found on the Ready Scotland website.
The latest Met Office weather warnings are available on the Met Office website. For Scotland, these include:
Flood alerts are issued by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency and can be viewed on their website.
Follow Traffic Scotland for the most up-to-date information on the trunk roads throughout the warning periods, via their website, social media channels and radio broadcasts. Updates on ScotRail services and road conditions are available online.
To report a power cut or damage to electricity power lines or substations call the SP Networks national Freephone number 105. More information on what to do during a storm can also be found on SP Energy Website.
