Storm Éowyn extreme wind forecast sparks Met Office amber warning for Highlands and red alert for Scotland’s central belt
⚠️⚠️ Amber weather warning issued ⚠️⚠️
— Met Office (@metoffice) January 23, 2025
Very strong winds across parts of Scotland
Friday 1300 – Saturday 0600
Latest info 👉 https://t.co/QwDLMfS950
Stay #WeatherAware ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/TsMiPqBp9G
Extremely strong winds are set to batter Scotland tomorrow - with an upgraded amber alert in place across the Highlands and a rare red warning in force in the central belt.
The Met Office upgraded the warnings on Thursday morning ahead of the arrival of Storm Éowyn on Friday.
Wind gusts in the Atlantic west of Ireland are expected to reach well in excess of 100mph, and gusts as high as 100mph are possible in parts of Scotland after Éowyn makes landfall.
In the Highlands gusts topping more than 90mph are believed possible.
Describing the amber warning for the Highlands, a Met Office spokesperson said: “Storm Éowyn will move across the northwest of the UK on Friday, clearing to the northeast on Friday night and through Saturday morning.
“This will bring a spell of very strong west to south-westerly winds, with peak gusts of 60-70 mph fairly widely inland, 70-80 mph in some areas, and 80-90 mph along more exposed coasts and hills (perhaps even higher in a few locations). Winds will gradually ease from the south during Friday night and Saturday morning.”
The warning comes into force at 1pm on Friday and will remain in place until 6am on Saturday. It covers all parts of Scotland north of Oban and Loch Lomond in the west, and Tayside in the east.
A separate amber warning for wind covers all parts of Scotland south of that line, while a red warning for wind will also be in force in the central belt, Argyll, and south-western Scotland. Another red warning is in force for Northern Ireland.
Describing the upgraded warnings, 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.”
Mr Gundersen continued: “Storm Éowyn is a multi-hazard event, with snow likely for some, rain for many and strong wings 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.
“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.
“It’s important to note that even those away from the immediate Red Warning areas will still likely see disruptive weather, with travel plans likely to be severely impacted, as well as the possibility of power cuts for some.”
Snow and rain represent additional hazards with this event, with yellow warnings for those also issued.
The snow is likely to be relatively short-lived before it shifts to rain, but still has the potential to cause disruption, with some surface water flooding a likely hazard in some places.
Since the upgraded warnings were issued, multiple transport operators have warned of likely widespread disruption and urged people to change their travel plans to other journeys either before or after the storm.
As a reader, we know the value you place on trusted local journalism. At The Northern Times we are committed to delivering the very best coverage from communities right across our area, and we can only do this with the support of our readers. By becoming a subscriber you not only support us in this mission, you also unlock a whole host of benefits, including unlimited access to our website and digital editions of all our weekly newspapers. You can find out more about subscriptions here.
Use the promo code PHILIPMURRAY to get a year of unlimited digital access for just £10 - we really appreciate your support. Thank you.
