Millions braced for “dangerous conditions” as winds from the second storm in a week prompted two rare red weather warnings for much of the south of England and part of Wales.
The second rare highest alert – meaning a high impact is very likely – was issued to run from 10am until 3pm over the South and East of England on Friday due to fears of Storm Eunice “causing significant disruption and dangerous conditions due to extremely strong winds” up to 90mph, the Met Office said.
The warning covering Greater London, Kent, Surrey and other parts of the South East joined an earlier-announced 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 surges.
Wind gusts in the most exposed coastal areas could exceed 90mph, the Met Office said, while an amber warning for gusts up to 80mph covers the whole of England from 5am to 9pm.
Met Office chief meteorologist Paul Gundersen said: “After the impacts from Storm Dudley for many on Wednesday, Storm Eunice will bring damaging gusts in what could be one of the most impactful storms to affect southern and central parts of the UK for a few years. ”
“The red warning areas indicate a significant danger to life as extremely strong winds provide the potential for damage to structures and flying debris.”
