Tornado warning and ‘danger to life’ alert issued as UK braces for 90 mph winds in Storm Eowyn ‘weather bomb’

23 January 2025, 01:01

Tornado warnings have been put in place across parts of England tomorrow as the country braces for Storm Eowyn, after the met office issued a ‘danger to life’ warning earlier.
Tornado warnings have been put in place across parts of England tomorrow as the country braces for Storm Eowyn, after the met office issued a ‘danger to life’ warning earlier. Picture: Alamy

By Josef Al Shemary

Tornado warnings have been put in place across parts of England tomorrow as the country braces for Storm Eowyn, after the met office issued a ‘danger to life’ warning earlier.

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Tornado warnings have been put in place across parts of England tomorrow as the country braces for Storm Eowyn, after the met office issued a ‘danger to life’ warning earlier.

Storm Eowyn, the first named storm of 2025, is set to batter the country with 90 mph winds, heavy rain and snow and is now also expected to bring tornadoes to parts of the country.

The European Storm Forecast Experiment (Estofex) has issued a level two alert, warning that the development of a tornado 'cannot be ruled out'.

The South of England is set to be hit the hardest, with Estofex warning of the possibility of 'severe wind gusts with a few tornado events possible’ on Thursday.

The European forecaster added that the risk of an actual tornado ‘cannot be ruled out’ as areas between Bristol and London are cautioned to be on high alert.

A level one tornado warning is also in place across wider parts of southern England and much of Wales, indicating a 'similar risk but lower probabilities' of a tornado forming.

Large waves break over road and railway line at Saltcoats during Storm Brendan on 13 January 2020. Ayrshire, Scotland, UK
Large waves break over road and railway line at Saltcoats during Storm Brendan on 13 January 2020. Ayrshire, Scotland, UK. Picture: Alamy

The country is braced for strong winds, rain and snow as Storm Eowyn is set to batter the UK with gusts of up to 90mph on the way.

Storm Eowyn is set to hit parts of the UK on Friday, and the met office has issued an amber weather warning for northern England, North Wales, Northern Ireland and southern Scotland.

The met office predicts power cuts from Manchester to Glasgow, which could have dangerous knock-on effects.

Wind gusts of up to 90mph are expected on the coasts, with up to 70mph inland.

The winds could prove particularly dangerous, and people are warned of injuries and danger to life from flying debris.

Road, rail, air and ferry services are likely to be affected, and cancellations are possible as roads and bridges are set to close.

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flooded streets of Quorn, in central England, after heavy snow and rain
flooded streets of Quorn, in central England, after heavy snow and rain. Picture: Getty

Amber weather warnings mean there's a possibility of travel disruption, power cuts, and potential risk to your life and property, according to the Met Office.

Yellow warnings have been issued for the whole of the UK for Thursday, with high winds expected.

Large waves are expected at the coasts, and people have been warned of spray from the seawater.

Heavy rain is expected in west Wales and south-west England on Friday.

While the temperature remains mild for some, in the south, snow will fall over high ground in Scotland and northern England.

Mike Silverstone, deputy chief meteorologist at the Met Office said: "Storm Eowyn is expected to bring very strong winds and widespread disruption on Friday.

"There are currently a number of weather warnings in place, with all parts of the UK covered by one warning at some point on Friday.

"Storm Eowyn is expected to cross Northern Ireland early on Friday morning. It will then continue north-east across the northern half of Scotland during Friday afternoon and is expected to be centred near Shetland during Friday evening."

National Highways, which operates motorways and major A roads in England, has urged motorists in the North West, North East and Yorkshire to plan for disruption on Friday.

It has warned of "a particularly high risk" that high-sided vehicles, caravans and motorbikes could be blown over.

A rare red warning has been issued by Met Eirean, Ireland's weather service, ahead of the storm.

They warn of "severe, damaging and destructive gusts" in counties Limerick, Clare, Cork, and Kerry on Friday morning.

Red warnings are only issues for "rare and very dangerous weather condition", according to Met Eirean.

It's believed that wind speeds could reach up to 120mph, the highest since Storm Debbie in 1961.

The rest of Ireland is under amber or yellow weather warnings.

Met Office warnings could be upgraded ahead of Friday.

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