January is miserable enough as it is. Post-Christmas, we’re low on money, low on energy, the weather’s grey and no one wants to make any plans. As we head into the final weekend of Jan, it’s got one more thing up its sleeve – large parts of the UK are set to get battered by a storm named Éowyn (pronounced ‘ay-oh-win’).
Yellow severe weather warnings are in place throughout the country. Experts have called the incoming gale a ‘weather bomb’, which is when pressure inside a larger low-pressure system falls at a rapid rate over 24 hours, circling faster and faster, creating a violent winds strong enough to cause structural damage.
So, here’s everything we know about Storm Éowyn arriving this week.
When will Storm Éowyn hit the UK?
The Met Office has forecast that intense winds and heavy showers will arrive from Friday, January 24 and last into Saturday, January 25.
Where will Storm Éowyn hit?
Severe weather warnings are in place for most of UK on Friday and Saturday. Forecasters say Éowyn ‘could bring gusts in excess of 80mph on exposed coasts in Northern Ireland, northern England, northwestern Wales and western Scotland’.
Those intense winds could lead to power cuts, travel disruption and damage to buildings. There could also be danger to life from flying debris.
The only parts of the country that have avoided the warning are the areas around Oxford, London, Peterborough and the southeast coast from Whitstable to Norfolk.
Weather warnings
Severe ‘amber’ weather warnings have been upgraded to red warnings by the Met Office for Friday (January 24) from 6am to 9pm. The red warning covers Northern Ireland and parts of central and southern Scotland, including Edinburgh and Glasgow. The Northern Ireland warning runs from 7am to 2pm, and the Scotland warning from 10am to 5pm.
An amber alert covers parts of northern England and Wales, while yellow weather warnings are also in place for the rest of the UK on Friday, for rain in western England and Wales, wind in eastern England and Northern Ireland, and snow in Scotland.
Where will there be snow in the UK?
Some snow is expected over higher ground in the north of the country and Scotland, but that’s about it.
Travel disruption
Several UK rail routes have cancelled services or issued ‘do not travel’ warnings while Éowyn blows through. Find a full list of those here.
Did you see that 18 British record stores have been crowned the ‘greatest in the world’?
Plus: The UK’s best pub has been crowned for 2025.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country.