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Storm Eowyn is deemed ‘likely the strongest’ storm to have impacted the UK in at least a decade, stated the Met Office, mentioning it could potentially be the worst in ’20 or 30 years’ for the areas most severely affected.
However, the reprieve will be fleeting as Spanish-designated Storm Herminia is expected to swiftly follow, moving into the South West this coming Sunday.
It may not be as forceful as Eowyn, yet there is a ‘higher probability’ of damage due to a storm of its magnitude traversing already compromised infrastructure, according to a meteorologist from Sky News.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner convened discussions on Saturday with other Government officials and First Ministers from Northern Ireland and Scotland, during an urgent Cobra meeting regarding the storm’s impact.
Scottish First Minister John Swinney appealed for ‘endurance’ as efforts to restore services disrupted by the storm are undertaken, through a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In the meantime, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband expressed condolences to those affected, especially individuals who have lost their electricity, and assured that the Government would ‘collaborate closely with our partners until everyone impacted has their power reinstated’.
Areas of Ireland experienced the highest wind speeds recorded since records commenced, peaking at 114mph in Mace Head, Co Galway, on Friday.
A gust reaching 100mph was recorded at Drumalbin in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, on the same day.
Kacper Dudek, aged 20, tragically lost his life when a tree fell onto his vehicle at Feddyglass, Raphoe in Co Donegal, early Friday morning, prompting an investigation by Irish authorities.
Over a million individuals in the UK experienced power outages, while there was considerable travel chaos throughout the UK and Ireland.
The Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Dundee scheduled for Saturday was cancelled due to storm destruction at the club’s stadium in Glasgow.
Network Rail Scotland reported more than 400 instances of ‘damage’ discovered following the storm’s passage.
Equipment including signalling systems, overhead wires, stations, boundary fences, level crossings, and train depots sustained damage, they noted.
Additionally, ‘numerous fallen trees (were) documented on all routes’ along with other debris such as a roof discovered on the railway tracks in Glasgow.
Sunday ushers in a fresh wave of weather warnings as Storm Herminia draws near.
Sky News meteorologist Dr Chris England commented: ‘The Spanish-named Storm Herminia is set to bring torrential rain, strong winds, and snowy conditions in elevated areas beginning from the South West tomorrow and continuing into Monday.’
The southeastern, southwestern, and northwestern parts of England, along with Wales and the south-western regions of…
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Regions in Scotland are under a yellow wind alert from 8am to 3pm this Sunday.
The Met Office forecasts widespread gusts of 50mph to 60mph, with potential peaks of 70mph on exposed coastal areas and elevated terrains.
A yellow weather alert for ‘strong and gusty winds’ also impacts the east, south-east, and south-west regions of England and Wales from 6am on Monday until the same hour on Tuesday.
Coastal gusts may once again approach 70mph.
Moreover, a yellow heavy rain warning is effective from 8am on Sunday until 6am on Monday, increasing the possibility of localized flooding across various parts of the UK.
This alert encompasses a majority of central and southern England, along with substantial areas of Wales.
The Met Office cautioned that rainfall amounts between 10 to 20mm are expected, with totals approaching 30 to 50mm in elevated regions.
A subsequent heavy rainfall event on Sunday evening could result in as much as 80mm of precipitation.
“Considering the recent heavy downpours, this additional rainfall might trigger localized surface water and river flooding,” the Met Office noted.
Additionally, another yellow heavy rain warning has been issued from 6am to 11:59pm on Monday for the West Midlands and most of Wales.
Police Scotland reported nearly 1,900 weather-related incidents associated with Storm Eowyn that occurred on Friday.
Some routes of ScotRail have restarted services after a complete suspension of operations across Scotland.
As many as 42,000 customers in Scotland are still experiencing power outages.
As of 4pm on Saturday, around 28,000 customers from Scottish Power were without electricity, alongside approximately 14,500 customers from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) as of 4:30pm.
SSEN indicated it had restored power to about 75,300 customers, whereas Scottish Power has managed to reconnect around 192,000 customers, all affected by the storm.
Scottish Power reported handling 52,000 calls since the onset of Storm Eowyn—equivalent to a full month’s operations occurring in just one day.
The damage caused by the storm suggests that power restoration may require “several days,” according to the company.
As for Northern Ireland, NIE Networks reported that 189,000 homes and businesses remained without power on Saturday, although power had been restored for 96,000 customers.
To reach our news team, please email us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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