'Generational' bomb cyclone Eowyn slams UK, breaks wind record in Ireland
The storm set a new wind record in Ireland and cut power to over 700,000 buildings.
The United Kingdom and Ireland were both blasted by hurricane-force winds of as high as 114 mph from Storm Éowyn on Jan. 24. Power and transportation were disrupted for thousands of people.
A bomb cyclone hit Ireland and the United Kingdom on Thursday into Friday, preliminarily setting a new wind record for Ireland of 114 mph at Mace Head, after which point the wind equipment stopped reporting. In Drumalbin, South Lanarkshire, United Kingdom, winds gusted to 100 mph. Power cuts to 715,000 buildings were reported in Ireland on Friday afternoon.
A fallen tree brought down during Storm Éowyn blocks the road on January 24, 2025, in Holywood, near Belfast, Northern Ireland. The Met Office has issued rare red warnings for wind in Northern Ireland as well as the central and southwestern areas of Scotland. These are accompanied by wider Amber and Yellow Warnings for wind, as well as Yellow Warnings for rain and snow across the UK. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)
A storm is considered a bomb cyclone when the barometric pressure falls at least 0.71 of an inch of mercury (24 millibars) in 24 hours. Far surpassing that measure, Storm Eowyn plummeted more than 1.5 inches (53 mb) to 27.99 inches (948 mb) in 24 hours at Magilligan, Northern Ireland. The BBC says this is a new record low pressure for January and is the lowest since at least the year 1900 for Northern Ireland.
As it approached, Cathal Nolan of Ireland's Weather Channel described the storm as a "generational storm" that would be one of the strongest on record in Ireland. "I've not seen anything like it in my career," a BBC weather presenter said on X.
A GFS computer model forecast of wind speed between Thursday morning and Friday evening.
A NOAA Hurricane Hunters' airplane flew into the storm to gather data, like they did during Storm Ophelia in 2017.
The Met Office of the United Kingdom issued a red wind warning, the most severe, for some parts of the country, warning that damaging winds, flying debris, large waves and dangerous driving conditions are possible. Train companies advised residents of the U.K. not to attempt travel on Friday.
Winds will ease over the U.K. and Ireland Friday night and Saturday morning. There can be some rain and snow showers in the U.K. on Sunday.
Is there more wind in the forecast?
Another round of wind and areas of heavy rain is expected Sunday into Tuesday. Winds should not be as strong as Storm Eowyn, but there could be wind gusts to 80 mph in parts of Ireland, western England, Wales and southwestern Scotland. Yet another round of wind and rain is possible on Wednesday, but any wind gusts with that system should be less than 50 mph.
AccuWeather Lead International Expert Jason Nicholls contributed to this article.
Report a Typo
