Waves break against the sea wall in Carnlough on the north east coast of Northern Ireland early in the morning of January 24, 2025, as storm Eowyn brings winds of 100 mph to the UK and Ireland. (Photo by PAUL FAITH / AFP)
Dublin: Ireland recorded its strongest-ever wind gusts on Friday as "destructive" Storm Eowyn barrelled in from the Atlantic, cutting power, grounding flights and shutting schools, officials said.
Ireland and Scotland were put on high alert ahead of Eowyn making landfall, with schools ordered to close and trains and flights cancelled as forecasters warned the storm could wreak havoc and destruction.
Tens of thousands of homes lost power on Friday, as gusts of 183 kilometres (114 miles) per hour were recorded early in the morning near the Galway coast in the west, the island's Met Eireann said on X.
Waves break against the sea wall in Carnlough on the north east coast of Northern Ireland early in the morning of January 24, 2025, as storm Eowyn brings winds of 100 mph to the UK and Ireland. Photo by Paul Faith / AFP
The previous record, of 182 kilometres per hour, was recorded in 1945, it said.
Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O'Neill warned there was a "genuine threat to life and property", describing the region as currently being "in the eye of the storm".
The top-level red warning for wind covering Northern Ireland came into force at 7:00 am (0700 GMT).
Dublin Airport announced that more than 110 scheduled departures and 110 arrivals have been cancelled by airlines for Friday.
A commuter shelters from the rain under an umbrella in the city of London, early in the morning of January 24, 2025. Photo by Ben Stansall/ AFP
As the storm progressed north to Northern Ireland hundreds of flights were also cancelled across the two nations of the United Kingdom.
Airports hit included Belfast in Northern Ireland and the Aberdeen Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland.
O'Neill urged people to heed warnings and stay at home if possible.
Thousands without power
"We're asking the public to be very safe, to be very cautious, to take every precaution to ensure that they don't take any unnecessary travel, please just stay at home if you can," she told BBC radio.
"We're in the eye of the storm now. We are in the period of the red alert."
The chairman of Ireland's National Emergency Co-ordination Group, Keith Leonard, said on said Storm Eowyn was likely to be one of the most severe storms Ireland had seen.
"It is going to be a damaging, dangerous and destructive weather event," he said in Dublin on Friday.
"The forecasted winds will bring severe conditions which will constitute a risk to life and property.
Waves crash onto the Promenade wall in Blackpool, north-west England in the morning of January 24, 2025. Photo by Oli Scarff/ AFP
"Our most important message today is that everybody needs to shelter in place for the duration of all red warnings."
More than 93,000 homes and businesses were already without power in Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Electricity Networks said.
The provider said Storm Eowyn was causing "widespread damage" to the electricity network, warning that repair work would not begin immediately due to safety concerns.
"We anticipate we will begin assessing the damage to the network after 2:00 pm (1400 GMT) once the red weather warning has been lifted," it said in a statement.
Britain's environment agency warned of flooding in southern and central England over the coming days.
Scientists say climate change caused by humans burning fossil fuels is making storms more severe, super-charged by warmer oceans.
