Storm Eunice live: Cobra to meet as millions urged to stay home amid Met Office red ‘danger to life’ warning | UK news

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9.27am GMT 09:27

Gales of up to 79mph recorded on Isles of Scilly and Isle of Wight

Gusts of up to 79mph have been recorded at St Mary’s Airport on the Isles of Scilly and the Needles on the Isle of Wight, the Met Office said.

At Capel Curig in Conwy, North Wales, gusts have reached 75mph, while at Mumbles Head near Swansea on the south Wales coast they have hit 74mph, reports PA Media.

During the “Great Storm” of October 1987, wind speeds peaked at 115mph at Shoreham-by-Sea in West Sussex, while also reaching 99mph at Gatwick Airport and 94mph in central London.

9.25am GMT 09:25

The south-west coast of England and south Wales have borne the brunt of Storm Eunice so far this morning but the high winds are rapidly spreading across the country.

Here are a few early pictures from Dorset, Bridgend and Cornwall:

Waves crash against the sea wall and Porthcawl Lighthouse in Bridgend, Wales. Photo: Jacob King/PA Wire Photograph: Jacob King/PA Waves crash against the Cobb in Lyme Regis, west Dorset. Picture: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire Photograph: Andrew Matthews/PA Storm watchers at Trevaunance Cove as Storm Eunice hits St Agnes in Cornwall. Photo by Jonny Weeks/The Guardian Photograph: Jonny Weeks/The Guardian Large waves and strong winds hit in Porthleven, Cornwall. Photo: REUTERS/Tom Nicholson Photograph: Tom Nicholson/Reuters

9.09am GMT 09:09

Schools have been closed across nine counties in Ireland as Met Éireann, the country’s meteorological service, warning of a “short, sharp but very severe storm”.

My colleague Lisa O’Carroll reports:

lisa o’carroll (@lisaocarroll)

As many as 55,000 homes in Ireland without power as Storm Eunice sweeps across the south and west of the country with sleet, gales and snow in places.

February 18, 2022

8.57am GMT 08:57

Government’s Cobra emergency committee to meet

The government’s emergency response committee Cobra will meet this afternoon to discuss the response to Storm Eunice, No 10 has confirmed.

The Home Office minister Damian Hinds said the military was being readied to help if required. He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain:

Cobra have been convened about making sure the readiness is in place for this storm. Obviously it comes right on the back of Storm Dudley.

“We have had to learn a lot of lessons from previous events like Storm Arwen and others.

“There are troops as you know at readiness if needed, if military assistance is called for, the Environment Agency are of course on the ground, the network operators themselves are also in readiness.”

Updated at 9.01am GMT

8.47am GMT 08:47

British Airways cancels number of flights

British Airways has canceled “a number of flights” due to severe gales across the UK.

The airline has not confirmed how many flights have been canceled, or said how long the disruption is likely to last, but I have asked for more details.

BA’s online flight status checker currently shows nearly 40 canceled flights that had been due to leave London Heathrow between 8am and 2pm today – but it is not clear how many of these are because of Storm Eunice.

ing to customers on Twitter, the airline confirmed that arrivals into Heathrow were also affected. It tweeted:

British Airways (@British_Airways)

The arrival flow rate at London Heathrow is being reduced due to gale force winds. If you want to change your flight, send us a DM with more information and we’ll be happy to take a look at this for you. Lindy https://t.co/L1epyfzysM

February 18, 2022

In a statement, BA said:

“Like other airlines, we’re expecting extreme weather conditions at airports across the UK as a result of Storm Eunice, which will cause significant disruption. Safety is our number one priority, and we’re canceling a number of flights.

“We’re doing everything we can to minimise disruption for our customers, including putting on larger aircraft where possible and providing a range of flexible rebooking options. We’d like to thank customers for their patience and advise them to check the latest flight information on our website before heading to the airport.”

Updated at 8.56am GMT

8.30am GMT 08:30

Swansea is expected to be one of the places worst-hit by Storm Eunice as it blows in off the south-western tip of the UK.

Schools have been closed for 36,000 pupils and civic buildings like libraries and community centers have also been shut, as residents are urged to remain indoors.

Rob Stewart, the leader of the city and county of Swansea Council, said the storm poses a “really dangerous situation” and urged people to stay away from coastal areas and rivers.

Stewart told Sky News:

“I mean it is, unfortunately, a combination that we are dealing with of heavy rain over the last few days which has swelled the rivers, we’ve got high tides at the moment and, of course, this very, very rare red- rated storm so we’re as prepared as we can be but it is looking very dangerous for the next few hours.”

8.23am GMT 08:23

Steven Morris

The north coasts of Cornwall and Devon are being battered by Storm Eunice, with councils there urging people not to travel unless absolutely necessary and many schools across the region closed.

Around 700 homes in Cornwall are without power, including the towns of Lostwithiel and Marazion. Exeter, Bristol and Cardiff airport have canceled some flights.

Transport for Wales has canceled all trains in the country for the whole of Friday, the first time this has happened in Wales ahead of a storm.

The M48 Severn Bridge was shut overnight and it is possible the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge may also be closed later.

In south Wales, Rhondda Cynon Taf council has announced all of its mountain roads are shut except to emergency vehicles.

8.09am GMT 08:09

Environment Agency warns of ‘very, very serious’ situation

People may have to leave their homes due to the danger posed by Storm Eunice, an Environment Agency spokesman has said.

Roy Stokes, the Environment Agency spokesperson for the Midlands, described the weather event as a “really, really serious situation” and urged people to listen to local advice about whether to leave their properties.

He told Sky News:

“What I would stress as well is that, folks, listen to the advice from the emergency services.

“This is a really, really serious situation and I know that people don’t always want to leave their homes but in this case it might be the best advice, so listen to what you’re being told on the ground.

“Keep an eye on things and we’ll just watch this come through now and hopefully it won’t be as bad as we’re all expecting but we always prepare for the worst and hope for the best.”

Stokes said the combination of the high spring tides combined with the storm moving in was “just the worst possible thing really” for the Severn Estuary, which flows into the Bristol channel between England and south Wales.

He said the “worst case scenario” is that some of Severn’s flood defences could be over topped.

Updated at 8.14am GMT

7.56am GMT 07:56

The Met Office website has more information on what a red weather warning means.

It says winds of 90mph could lead to flying debris that could endanger life. There is a risk that roofs could be blown off buildings and trees and power lines could be brought down.

Roads, bridges and railway lines will be closed, with delays and cancellations to bus, train, ferry services and flights. Power cuts could affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage. And large waves and beach debris could be thrown on to coastal roads, sea fronts and homes, including flooding of some coastal properties.

Large waves were seen to hit the Cornish coast this morning as the storm was making landfall there around 7am.

Waves hit Porthleven on the Cornish coast this morning as Storm Eunice makes landfall. Photograph: Matt Keeble/PA

In County Durham, people woke up to snow. A woman was seen clearing snow from her car in Tow Law:

A woman clears snow from her car in Tow Law, County Durham. Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA

7.49am GMT 07:49

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of Storm Eunice. The Met Office has updated its red weather warning to include the east of England including London.

The rare danger-to-life warning means millions of people have been told to stay indoors at home to avoid 90mph winds.

The rare highest alert – meaning a major impact is very likely – was widened just before 4am, to run from 10am until 3pm on Friday, due to fears of the storm “causing significant disruption and dangerous conditions due to extremely strong winds”, the Met Office said.

The warning covering Greater London, Kent, Surrey, Essex and East Sussex joined an earlier red weather warning starting from 7am along the coastline of Devon, Cornwall and Somerset, as well as the south coast of Wales, due to the combination of high tides, strong winds and storm surge.

You can read our full early report here:

We’ll be bringing you the latest updates and pictures from around the country.

To let us know how the storm is affecting your part of the country, get in touch via email [email protected] or Twitter: @JoshHalliday.

Updated at 8.03am GMT

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