Storm

The Met Office has issued two rare red weather warnings for the south and south-west of England as Storm Eunice makes landfall. Much of the rest of the UK is under amber and yellow warnings with winds up to 90mph, rain and snow expected.

It will remain closed in both directions until Sunday afternoon. “We await information from the venue. Travellers are continuing to face disruption across the UK in the aftermath of Storm Eunice. I’ll be back with a plan as soon as I have it. Right now we do not know when The O2 arena will be open again for events but they’ve told us it shouldn’t be too long. A clean-up is set to begin after the storm brought record-breaking gusts of wind to the UK and Ireland.

The rare highest alert was issued for Greater London, Kent, Surrey, Essex and East Sussex just before 4am this morning.

Flights trying to land at Heathrow had to be diverted back to locations including Geneva and Bordeaux because of the windy conditions. Forecasters have predicted Eunice could be one of the worst storms in three decades. In Cornwall, the Coastguard and police have warned people to stay away from the coast amid reports of people climbing onto seawalls and swimming in the sea. Storm watchers did not heed warnings to keep away from the coast and were pictured watching waves crash against the sea wall at Porthcawl Lighthouse in Porthcawl, Bridgend. In Cornwall, the Coastguard and police said there had been reports of people swimming and climbing on sea walls. A wind gust of 122mph at the Needles on the Isle of Wight this morning is thought to be a new record for England, the Met Office has said. More than 30,000 homes in the south west of England were left without power this morning and enormous waves were recorded on the Cornish coast at Porthleven as the storm barrelled into the UK.

London is under a red warning for the first time due to possible 70 mph winds.

As much as six to 12 inches of snow may fall in parts of Northern Ireland and Scotland, with the highest totals in the hills and mountains. Across the north, a significant snow warning is in effect for Scotland, parts of northern England and Northern Ireland on Eunice’s edge. Names are given when a storm has potential to deliver red or amber warning weather to the region. British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps warned of “service suspensions” across the rail network in the U.K. and urged people to “stay home” if they can. The Atlantic is like a cyclone factory with many intense windstorms forming every winter. Zones of heavier precipitation are possible in northern Ireland and Great Britain, a portion of which will fall as moderate to heavy snow. The organizations state that naming helps increase awareness of wintertime severe weather through an authoritative system. Worse is likely to come as Eunice eyes a Friday landfall. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters that the army was on standby to help people impacted by the storm. In addition to the rare red wind warnings, a widespread amber warning is in force for virtually all of England, Wales and Ireland for slightly lesser, though still strong winds. The UK Met Office wrote that the storm would “bring significant impacts for many and represent a danger to life” in a news release. Called Eunice, the storm is on track to strike southwest Ireland in the predawn hours Friday local time, before rapidly moving across the U.K. a few hours later, blasting cities like Cardiff and London with powerful winds.

Millions told to stay home to avoid winds of up to 90mph as army placed on 'high readiness standby'

Serious flooding may take place along the coastlines of the south and west of England as spring tides are expected on Friday morning. London North East Railway urged customers with tickets for Friday to travel on Saturday instead or get a refund due to expected disruption and damage. Amber warnings – the second highest alert level – for wind were 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 were in force for a large part of Scotland where blizzards were predicted and the whole of Northern Ireland. People have been warned to tie down objects in their gardens and be wary of fierce winds, which could cause trees to topple over and tiles to fly off buildings. In Scotland, a weather warning for snow was in place between 3am and 6pm on Friday, while a wind warning encompasses the south-west Scottish borders, including most of Dumfries and Galloway. Snow was forecast for most of mainland Scotland on Friday, south of Inverness and Fort William. It comes after Storm Dudley caused travel disruption and power cuts to parts of the UK on Wednesday. The government’s Cobra emergency committee met on Thursday to discuss the storm response and plan for power cuts.

Avoid the coast - beaches, promenades, coastal footpaths and roads - as large waves and sea spray could be dangerous. Our storm boards are in place for a ...

- Never walk or drive through flood water. - Secure bins, outdoor furniture and trampolines to prevent them being blown into roads or through windows. - Avoid the coast - beaches, promenades, coastal footpaths and roads - as large waves and sea spray could be dangerous.

Storm Eunice is set to cause significant disruption in Eastbourne on Friday (February 18) due to extremely strong winds.

Denmans Garden will also be closed due to the ‘unpredictable weather’. Nymans, in Handcross, and Borde Hill Garden, in Haywards Heath, has also said that its garden will be closed on Friday due to forecasts of high winds. South East Water said it is closely monitoring the situation and ‘working round the clock’ in case of power outages that could cause the water treatment process to stop functioning. The rail company has said commuters should consider if their journey is really necessary and avoid travelling if you don't need to. The storm has forced the postponement of a key West Sussex County Council meeting and Eastbourne’s rubbish tip ‘may be forced to close’. Chichester’s rubbish tip at Westhampnett will also be closed. Although it is forecast to be relatively short in duration, the wind gusts associated with the weather front are significant and widespread disruption to power supplies is likely across our operating region. The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning in East and West Sussex starting at 5am, stating there is a 'good chance' that flying debris could result in loss of life.