Hurricane force winds batter UK as millions warned to stay indoors
Hurricane force winds batter UK as millions warned to stay indoors
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Hurricane force winds posing danger to life have hit the UK, as millions of people have been urged to stay at home during Storm Eowyn. Rail services, flights and ferries have been axed, and rare red weather warnings are in place on Friday in Scotland and Northern Ireland, as winds of up to 100mph have swept the country.
The storm is likely to rip the roofs from buildings, uproot trees and cause power cuts, according to the Met Office alerts. Hurricane force winds are those that reach at least 74mph, according to the Beaufort scale, the Met Office said. Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill has urged people to stay at home, adding “we are in the eye of the storm now”, in an interview with BBC Radio Ulster.
On Friday, about 20% of all flights scheduled to operate to or from airports in the UK or Ireland have been cancelled, according to Aviation analytics company Cirium. A total of 1,070 flights have been cancelled, and Dublin, Edinburgh, Heathrow and Glasgow airports are the worst affected, according to the company.
Ryanair flight RK596 from Stansted in Essex to Edinburgh airport, reached the skies above the Scottish capital but was unable to land on Friday. The Boeing 737 left Stansted at 8.35am and touched down at the same airport two hours and 44 minutes later, at 11.19am, after circling over the Borders.
