Storm Eunice could produce ‘sting jet’ like 1987 Great Storm, forecaster warns

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forecaster has warned Storm Eunice could pack an even bigger punch than expected when it hits the UK on Friday morning.

The weather system – already set to bring winds up to 100mph and life-threatening flying debris into parts of southern England – could produce a “sting jet” similar to the one seen during the Great Storm of 1987, according to the expert.

The meteorological phenomenon happens when a jet of cold air in a powerful weather system rapidly descends from up to four kilometers in the atmosphere to the ground over three of four hours.

The Great Storm: 15th October 1987

My other car was a Porsche: damage done during the great storm of October 15 1987

Ros Drinkwater/Rex Features

Two of the 27 light aircraft at Shoreham airport that were damaged in the wake of the savage weather that left a trail of chaos in the south of England.

PA

Michael Fish failing to predict the Hurricane, that hit the south-east in October 1987

BBC

Red alert: phone boxes after the storm

Rex Features

Devastation in Kew Gardens

Robin Anderson/Rex Features

Crushed beetle: October 16 1987

Sten Rosenlund/Rex Features

Man struggles on the Embankment at 11.30am on October 16 25 years ago

Rex Features

A tree squashed Porsche in Wandsworth SW18

Mail on Sunday

Uprooted trees crashed onto houses in Old Tovil Road in Maidstone, Kent, after a hurricane hit Britai

PA

A light aeroplane upside down by the savage storms which hit the south, at Stapleford Abbotts airfield near Epping in Essex

PA

Mrs Joan Rix, owner of the Abridge Park Residential Caravan Park, tries to make a call from a blown over telephone booth in the wake of the savage storms that swept the South Coast.

PA

Its name derives from the hooked cloud head that emerges from the southern flank of a cyclone, which resembles a scorpion’s tale.

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Scientists have determined that the Great Storm of 1987, which caused the deaths of 18 people, included a sting jet which they think contributed to the catastrophic damage it wreaked.

Dr Peter Inness, a meteorologist at the University of Reading, said he thought that Storm Eunice could produce a sting jet.

“Eunice looks like it may be able to produce a sting jet, a narrow, focused region of extremely strong winds embedded within the larger area of ​​strong winds and lasting just a few hours,” he said.

“Such events are quite rare but the 1987 ‘Great Storm’ almost certainly produced a sting jet, and some of the more damaging wind storms since have also shown this pattern.”

The UK is bracing itself ahead of Storm Eunice with attractions closing, travel disruption and a major incident declared in some areas, meaning people are warned to stay indoors.

A rare red weather warning – the highest alert, meaning a high impact is very likely – has been issued by the Met Office due to the combination of high tides, strong winds and storm surge.

UK Weather: Storm Dudley and Eunice

Waves hits Porthleven on the Cornish coast as Storm Eunice makes landfall

PA

A person clears snow in Tow Law, County Durham, as Storm Eunice sweeps across the UK

PA

Heavy snow fall in Tow Law, County Durham

PA

A screen grab shows debris in the wake of Storm Dudley in North Shields

via REUTERS

Sheep taking shelter from the storm in a bus stop in Ebbw Vales, Wales, as Storm Dudley hits many areas across the UK

PA

Waves hit the dike in Wimereux after Northern France was hit by winds up to 115 km/h as Storm Dudley moved over the UK and Ireland towards the continent

AFP via Getty Images

A jogger goes through flood water by the river Thames at Putney, London after Storm Dudley hit

PA

A small tree blown into the road at Three Crosses in Ross-on-Wye during Storm Dudley

PA

Waves crashing on the seafront at Blackpool before Storm Dudley hits the north of England/southern Scotland

PA Wire

A cyclist goes through flood water by the river Thames at Putney, London after Storm Dudley hit

PA

A woman pulls down her hat against the wind as the UK awaits the arrival of Storm Dudley

Getty Images

Calm before Storm Eunice from Primrose Hill

Jeremy Selwyn

People view the waves created by high winds and spring tides hitting the sea wall at New Brighton promenade

Getty Images

Big waves hit the sea wall at Whitby, North Yorkshire (Danny Lawson/PA)

PA Wire

A rainbow over St Mary’s Lighthouse in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, ahead of Storm Dudley

PA Wire

A woman battles with her umbrella on Westminster Bridge

PA

Big waves hit the sea wall at Portstewart in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland

PA

There is a risk of “flying debris resulting in danger to life” and “damage to buildings and homes, with roofs blown off and power lines brought down” along the coastline of Devon, Cornwall and Somerset as well as the south coast of Wales from Friday morning.

The Cobra emergency committee met on Thursday “to discuss the response to Storm Dudley and Storm Eunice”, the Government said.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the Army is on standby to help those affected by Storm Eunice.

Amber warnings, the second highest alert level, for wind are in place across the whole of England from 5am to 9pm on Friday, while yellow weather warnings, the next level down, for wind and snow are in force for a large part of Scotland – where blizzards are predicted – and the whole of Northern Ireland.

Severe and significant flooding may also take place along the coastlines of the south and west of England as spring tides are expected on Friday morning.

A number of attractions, including the London Eye, Legoland and Warwick Castle, are temporarily closing.

A National Trust spokesperson said: “Most of the places we look after in the south, south west and east of England, in the Midlands, and in Wales will be closed tomorrow due to the incoming storm, with some sites also shut in the north of England and Northern Ireland.

“We’re urging people to follow local advice and to check our website for more information.”

A number of parks and open spaces including Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, west London, and Wakehurst, West Sussex, will also be closing their doors, it was announced on social media.

Some councils across the UK are to help shelter homeless people and halt bin collections.

Strong winds from Storm Eunice could cause trees to be blown on to train lines, possibly leading to delays and cancellations, the Rail Delivery Group said.

A Network Rail spokesman said disruption is “inevitable”.

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