A tornado warning has been issued for parts of England tomorrow as the country braces for 90mph winds from Storm Eowyn.
An alert level two has been issued by the European Storm Forecast Experiment cautioning about the potential for ‘severe wind gusts with a few tornado events possible’ in the southern region of England on Thursday.
The forecaster, consisting of European meteorologists, mentioned that the formation of a tornado is a possibility, especially in areas stretching from Bristol to London.
Additionally, there is a level one tornado warning covering larger areas of southern England and a significant part of Wales. This warning indicates a ‘similar risk but lower probabilities’ of a tornado occurrence.
Amid the prospect of tornados, Storm Eowyn is also expected to batter the country with gusts of up to 90mph forecast from around 6am on Friday.
High speed winds are expected to cause power cuts, travel disruption and damage to buildings, as well as a potential danger to life caused by flying debris.
An amber weather warning for wind has been issued in the East Midlands, Grampian, Yorkshire and the Humber, Strathclyde, north Wales, Northern Ireland, North West and North East England as well as swathes of Central Scotland.
They are issued when weather is highly likely to cause widespread disruption – with Brits advised to take action to protect themselves and their properties where possible from the threat of weather damage.
A tornado warning has been issued for parts of England tomorrow as the country braces for 90mph winds from Storm Eowyn
High winds are expected across all of the UK on Friday – with weather alerts in place for every part of the country
Brits are being warned to expect gusts of up to 90mph tomorrow when Storm Eowyn touches down (File image)
Forecasters have warned travel conditions are likely to be treacherous with wind speeds of more than 90mph in coastal and more exposed areas as Storm Éowyn makes its landfall.
Even inland, disruption is inevitable with up to 70mph gusts expected ‘fairly widely’.
There are also yellow warnings for wind covering every area of the country, a yellow rain alert for much of Wales, Somerset and Cornwall, and a yellow alert for snow, with as much as 25cm of snow expected at heights above 300metres.
The Met Office said the ‘high impact’ storm means travellers can expect dangerous conditions and delays with many services cancelled – and warned there was a possibility for a second named storm ‘at some point’ next week.
‘Injuries and danger to life could occur from flying debris, as well as large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties,’ it said.
Homeowners have been urged to prepare for widespread power cuts with engineers on standby to reconnect households as soon as conditions allow.
Oli Claydon, of the Met Office, said: ‘We don’t need to look that far back to see similar strength winds, with Storm Darroch just a few weeks ago. And while most people don’t know the [Beaufort] scale, the gusts do fall in the hurricane speed category.
‘Certainly, winds of this strength, especially in the amber warning areas, have potential for disruptions and danger to life.’
Dramatic weather maps show a cyclonic formation passing over Britain at the height of Friday
High winds are expected across all of the UK on Friday, with wind speeds of more than 90mph in coastal and more exposed areas as Storm Éowyn makes its landfall
The Jet Stream will develop above the North Atlantic this week, with the Met Office expecting ‘perhaps the strongest winds of the winter so far’ by Friday (Stock image)
Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: ‘The Met Office warnings show high winds will impact all of the country, so it’s vital people plan ahead if they have to travel, particularly in the areas in south and central Scotland covered by the amber warning.’
The storm is expected undergo explosive cyclogenesis – a term more commonly known as a ‘weather bomb’ – in the Atlantic on Thursday.
Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Mike Silverstone said: ‘Storm Éowyn 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 Éowyn is expected to cross Northern Ireland early on Friday morning. It will then continue northeast across the northern half of Scotland during Friday afternoon and is expected to be centred near Shetland during Friday evening.
‘The strongest wind gusts are likely to be felt across parts of Northern Ireland, southern and central Scotland, northern England and northwest Wales, where exposed sites could get gusts in excess of 80mph, possibly 90mph, which has the potential to cause impacts for those in these areas.
‘The focus for the highest winds shifts to Scotland on Friday night into Saturday.
‘An Amber weather warning for wind has been issued and covers Northern Ireland, parts of Scotland and northern England for most of the day on Friday before winds gradually ease later in the day.’
