A tornado warning has been issued for parts of England tomorrow as the country braces for 90mph winds from Storm Eowyn.
A level two alert has been issued by the European Storm Forecast Experiment, warning of the possibility of ‘severe wind gusts with a few tornado events possible’ in the south of England on Thursday.
The forecaster added that the development of a tornado ‘cannot be ruled out’, with areas between Bristol and London most at risk.
There is also a level one tornado warning in place across wider parts of southern England and much of Wales, which states there is ‘similar risk but lower probabilities’ of a tornado forming.
It comes as Scotland is set to be battered by hurricane-force winds tomorrow as Storm Éowyn sweeps in – bringing up to ten inches of snow to parts of the country.
Forecasters issued an amber ‘danger to life’ warning as the first named storm of the year gathered pace.
They say 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’.
The Beaufort wind force scale which is used in the UK states that speeds of more than 73mph fall in the hurricane category.
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)
The amber warning for wind is in place across the Central Belt and beyond from 6am until 9pm with a yellow warning covering all Scotland from midnight until 11.59pm – and a second one immediately after until 3pm on Saturday.
There is also an alert for snow covering Central, Tayside, Fife, Grampian, the Highlands and the Western Isles from 3am until noon tomorrow.
As the centre of the storm passes overhead tomorrow, western Scotland will see a slight reduction in wind strength before another rapid increase with a yellow warning coming in at midnight and lasting until 3pm on Saturday.
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.’
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.’
Police Scotland have advised against unnecessary travel.
Chief Superintendent Hilary Sloan urged motorists: ‘Please do not ignore any road signage advising of changes to speed or closures to routes.
‘These are in place for your safety and the safety of other road users.’
Source link
