A powerful storm with hurricane-force winds swept across Ireland and northern parts of the UK on January 24, leaving nearly a third of homes and businesses in Ireland without power. Both countries issued rare “red” warnings for the areas most affected by the strong winds, warning of potential life-threatening conditions.
Named “Éowyn”, the winter storm originated from the Atlantic Ocean, delivering gusts of up to 114 miles per hour (183 kilometers per hour) in Ireland overnight, marking the highest recorded since 1945 before moving on to Scotland.
Schools in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland of the UK, and Scotland were closed, and train services, ferries, as well as hundreds of flights were canceled.
This marked the first time Ireland issued a red warning for the entire country since Storm Ophelia in 2017, which had resulted in three fatalities.
Michelle O’Neill, the Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, urged the public to stay indoors, saying, “If you can, stay at home. We are right in the middle of the storm. We are in a red alert period.”
In Edinburgh, the Scottish Parliament closed its doors, with First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney stating, “We need to be absolutely clear. People should not be traveling.”
On Friday morning, the city centers of Dublin, Belfast, and Glasgow appeared unusually quiet with shops closed as people followed the government’s advice to stay indoors.
The Electricity Supply Board in Ireland reported unprecedented, widespread, and severe damage to the power infrastructure, leaving over 700,000 homes and businesses in Ireland and nearly 100,000 in Northern Ireland without electricity.
Weather company AccuWeather noted that part of the energy of Storm Éowyn originated from a system that brought historic snowfall to the Gulf Coast of the United States in recent days.
(Reference: Report from the Associated Press)