A “once in a generation” storm is hitting the United Kingdom and Ireland. Storm Éowyn made landfall early on Friday morning and has already brought record-breaking wind to Ireland’s Atlantic coast. With gusts exceeding 100 mph forecast, travel is being severely disrupted.
A rare red warning, meaning there is danger to life, has been issued for the Republic of Ireland and some northern parts of the UK.
As Éowyn sweeps in from the Atlantic, Ireland is the first to be hit. All departures and arrivals at Dublin Airport have been halted until after 10:15 am. As of 9:30 am, airlines have canceled around 230 flights.
Winds are expected to remain very strong, with Dublin Airport warning that further cancellations and flight delays are possible throughout the day.
“We advise passengers intending to travel on Friday to check the status of their flight directly with their airline before traveling to the airport,” the airport said in a statement.
In a post on X, Dublin Airport said there were “very quiet skies over Ireland this morning,” with the only planes visible on the a Flightradar24 map “high in the sky and heading from North and South America to airports in Britain and mainland Europe”.
Very quiet skies over Ireland this morning. The only planes you see on the @flightradar24 map are high in the sky and heading from North and South America to airports in Britain and mainland Europe ✈️ pic.twitter.com/x93yDJ1fNB
— Dublin Airport (@DublinAirport) January 24, 2025
Storm Éowyn’s Impact on UK Travel
Northern parts of the UK are also experiencing the impact of Éowyn.
Scotland’s heavily populated Central Belt is among the hardest hit areas. Travel to and through Glasgow and Edinburgh – Scotland’s major transit hubs – is already severely disrupted.
All trains across Scotland are suspended throughout Friday, with operator Scotrail warning that no alternative transport will be available. Most cross-border train services between Scotland and England are also canceled.
At Edinburgh Airport, almost all flights on Friday morning are canceled, with disruption likely to continue into the afternoon. This includes key long-haul services to New York and Doha. All bus services in the Scottish capital are being withdrawn between 10 am and 5 pm on Friday.
Very windy and stormy as Storm Éowyn crosses over the UK ⚠️🔴
Damaging winds across Northern Ireland and into parts of Scotland accompanied by rain and snow
Heavy rain pushing eastwards, followed by hazy sunshine for much of England and Wales pic.twitter.com/rTj9z4RmiX
— Met Office (@metoffice) January 23, 2025
Meanwhile, Glasgow Airport said it is “limiting airport operations” between 10 am and 5 pm “following the significant level of flight cancellations.”
Flights at Belfast International Airport are “limited” for the duration of the red weather warning, which is in place for Northern Ireland until 2 pm on January 24. Other airports in Northern Ireland are also badly affected, while ferry services have also been suspended.
As of Friday morning, most flights to and from England are operating normally. However, as the storm tracks east, northern regions of England could also face travel disruption.
Has Climate Change Made Storm Éowyn More Severe?
It’s unclear if Storm Éowyn’s intensity is linked to climate change, as stormy weather is not unusual in the autumn and winter across the UK and Ireland.
“It requires detailed research to attribute the strength of the impacts of any specific storm to climate change,” Professor Suzanna Gray from the University of Reading Department of Meteorology said.
“To date, the observed trends in UK storminess have not provided a conclusive link with climate change. One reason why it is difficult to make this link is that the position and variability of UK storminess is very dependent on the position of the jet stream, which varies substantially.”
The jet stream, a band of strong winds that blow from west to east can be influenced by areas of low and high pressure, sometimes becoming more erratic.
Aviation industry bodies Eurocontrol and ACI Europe have warned airlines about increased storm-related disruptions.
“The sector is grappling with disruptive weather patterns affecting aviation operations, airport infrastructure, passengers and personnel, which are set to increase with climate change,” the organizations said in a recent report.
It urged airports to consider if systems “will be able to manage capacity during more frequent and extreme disruptive weather and how much it will cost to implement the climate adaptation measures airports need versus the cost of doing nothing.”
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