Hundreds of schools will close, all trains in Scotland will be suspended and police have warned people not to travel in areas under a rare red “danger to life” weather warning for high winds issued for parts of the country on Friday.
The Met Office issued a rare red warning across Northern Ireland and Scotland, where winds are forecast to pick up rapidly during the Friday morning rush hour, with peak gusts of 80-90mph, and perhaps up to 100mph along some exposed coasts.
Forecasters warn that flying debris could put lives in jeopardy, and people are urged to stay indoors.
Around 4.5 million people will receive an emergency alert to their mobile phone at 6pm to warn of the risks.
Police said no road users should travel in or to the red weather warning area, and motorists in areas affected were advised not to drive unless absolutely essential.
The Met Office red warning, which runs from 10am to 5pm, covers the central belt including Glasgow and Edinburgh, stretching north on the west coast to Jura in Argyll and Bute and south to Stranraer in Dumfries and Galloway.
Schools in both Scotland and Northern Ireland are set to close on Friday.
British Airways grounds more than 20 flights
Airlines and airports are bracing for severe disruption as Storm Eowyn approaches, writes Simon Calder.
Besides the challenges of flying in high winds, there is the issue of staffing. Traffic Scotland’s warning against road travel applies to Edinburgh and Glasgow airports, and aviation workers will not be able to use trains because they have all been cancelled.
The Independent has identified more than 20 flights grounded by British Airways as Storm Eowyn approaches. Some early evening departures from London Heathrow to Scotland and Northern Ireland have been cancelled, with corresponding cancellations southbound on Friday.
In addition, BA has grounded four round trips from London City to Edinburgh, two to Glasgow and one to Dublin.
A spokesperson for Edinburgh airport said: “We will have operational staff on-site for the first wave (early morning traffic) which falls out with the red warning, and it is then for airlines to decide how best to operate. At that point, we will facilitate operations as best we can.”
An easyJet spokesperson said: “Due to the severe weather warning in place tomorrow and over the weekend for parts of the UK, disruption to some flights is expected.
“We advise customers due to fly with us in the coming days to check our Flight Tracker page for the most up-to-date information and any customers who wish to change their plans can contact our customer service team for their options.”
Jane Dalton23 January 2025 17:33
20 Scottish local authorities to close schools
A total of 19 local authorities in Scotland have now announced all schools in their respective areas will be closed because of storm Eowyn on Friday.
Stirling, Falkirk, Angus and Fife councils all announced via social media that all of their schools would be shut with the red weather warning due to come into effect at 10am on Friday.
The four councils join Glasgow, Edinburgh, East Ayrshire, East Lothian, Fife, North and South Lanarkshire, North Ayrshire, East Renfrewshire, Midlothian, East and West Dunbartonshire, Inverclyde, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire and Falkirk councils, which have said all schools and nurseries will be closed.
Athena Stavrou23 January 2025 16:57
Travel services suspended in Northern Ireland
Bus and train services have been suspended in Northern Ireland during the red weather warning in place on Friday morning for Storm Eowyn.
Translink’s director of service operations, Ian Campbell, said: “We have worked closely with the multiple emergency planning agencies, and this decision to cancel services is necessary to ensure the safety of all our customers and employees.
“Amber alerts for strong winds are also in effect for most of tomorrow which will likely impact services even after the red alert ends.
“We will be working collaboratively with all agencies to assess any damage to both road and rail routes and only resume services when it is safe to do so.
“There is likely to be fallen trees and extensive debris that will need to be cleared, and bus and train services may need to operate with speed restrictions or operate diversions for bus services if roads are impassable.”
Athena Stavrou23 January 2025 16:24
Train operators issue “Do Not Travel” warnings for Friday
Northern Trains has issued a Do Not Travel warning covering all services in Cumbria, Blackpool North to York, Wigan to Leeds, Manchester Victoria to Leeds via Hebden Bridge, Huddersfield to Sheffield, Leeds-Nottingham and the new Northumberland line from Newcastle to Ashington.
TransPennine Express has already urged passengers not to attempt to travel from northern England to Scotland on Friday.
It is now telling passengers: “We are advising customers to avoid travelling, unless absolutely essential, between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York. Services which we are able to operate across the rest of the TransPennine Express network will run to an amended timetable and may be subject to significant disruption with short notice delays, alterations and cancellations all possible.”
Simon Calder23 January 2025 15:42
Dramatic footage shows high wind pulling shed off ground
Dramatic footage has been circulated online of extremely strong winds in Cornwall.
Several videos and pictures shared on social media shows objects being swept away in winds and even an entire shed being lifted from the ground.
Earlier, European Storm Forecast Experiment published a map putting southern England under a level 2 tornado warning for severe wind gusts with a few tornado events possible.
They said: “a strong event cannot be ruled out”.
Athena Stavrou23 January 2025 15:40
More schools and nurseries to close
All schools and nurseries across Edinburgh, Clackmannanshire, Fife and Falkirk councils will be closed on Friday because of Storm Eowyn.
The four councils are the latest to confirm closures in Scotland, taking the total to 16.
Glasgow, East Ayrshire, East Lothian, North and South Lanarkshire, North Ayrshire, East Renfrewshire, Midlothian, East and West Dunbartonshire, Inverclyde and Argyll and Bute councils previously said all schools and nurseries will be closed on Friday.
Athena Stavrou23 January 2025 15:30
Thousands of train journeys suspended
Britons are facing a day full of disrpution on Friday, as rare red weather warnings come into place triggered by 100mph winds brought by Storm Eowyn.
Thousands of train journeys have been cancelled, with ScotRail suspending all of its services on Friday.
The company, who operate more than 2,000 rail services a day, said it “would not be safe to operate passenger services due to forecast weather conditions”.
A number of train companies including Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, and Grand Central have told customers not to travel on routes across parts of North Wales and Scotland as “very strong winds, rain and snow” are expected to disrupt train services from Friday.
National Rail said in a statement published on Thursday: “Strong winds can blow trees into infrastructure, damaging the overhead lines that power electric trains.
“The winds can mean it’s unsafe to carry out repairs at height – or with certain machinery until the winds have dropped.
“Trains may have to run at a reduced speed causing delays to your journey.”
Athena Stavrou23 January 2025 15:14
Widespread cancellations on Irish Sea by Stena Line
Stena Line has cancelled almost all of its sailings between Wales and Ireland on Friday. The Fishguard-Rosslare link will not operate at all. In addition, tonight’s 10.30pm sailing from Holyhead to Dublin is cancelled – as are most on the route on Friday. But the 4.30pm and 10.30pm ferries from the Irish capital are currently showing as on time.
From Cairnryan in southwest Scotland to Belfast, Stena Line has cancelled the 11.30pm departure on Thursday. The corresponding ferry from Belfast will sail early to try to avoid the worst of the weather. Friday’s first four sailings each way on the route are cancelled, with the 7.30pm departure in each direction “in doubt”.
Stena Line says: “You can amend your booking online to an alternative sailing or route without any charge fee or fare difference applied.”
Alice Reynolds23 January 2025 14:56
All ScotRail services suspended on Friday
ScotRail said that all its services will be suspended on Friday January 24.
In a statement posted on X, it said: “With the safety of customers and staff of paramount importance, we will not be safe to operate passenger services due to the forecast weather conditions across Scotland during #StormEowyn.
“All ScotRail services are suspended on Friday, January 24.
“We strongly advise you not to travel, as there will be no train services, and no alternative transport will be available.”
It said that high winds “could lead to trees and other debris falling onto the tracks, trapping trains and putting people in danger. It can also impact service recovery times due to poor road and driving conditions”.
“Once the warnings pass, the network will have to undergo safety inspections before services can be reintroduced.”
The company advised people to check the ScotRail website or app before travelling on Saturday morning.
Athena Stavrou23 January 2025 14:41
Rail: East Coast main line in disarray all weekend
Passengers on the UK’s flagship railway, the East Coast main line, face disruption all weekend.
The line connects London King’s Cross with Yorkshire, northeast England and Scotland. On Friday passengers are advised not to travel north of York, and the stretch from Newcastle to February is completely closed.
Passengers booked on LNER for Friday can use their tickets for Friday on Thursday or up to Monday 27 January – but at the weekend London-Peterborough is closed for engineering work.
The rail firm says: “LNER services will start and terminate at Peterborough, where rail replacement coaches will operate to Bedford for train services to London St Pancras.”
Hull Trains is running services via Sheffield to St Pancras, with journey times increased by about an hour.
Barney Davis23 January 2025 14:30
