Met Office issues red weather warning for Storm Eunice but Lincolnshire sticks at amber
The Met Office has issued the highest level of alert for Storm Eunice, stating that there could be a “danger to life” as a result of extremely strong winds.
The red weather warning, meaning a high impact is very likely, covers the coastline of Devon, Cornwall and Somerset as well as the south coast of Wales and will come into effect from 7am on Friday.
In Grantham and the surrounding areas, the warning remains at the second highest amber level and still warns that “flying debris could result in danger to life” and “damage to buildings and homes, with roofs blown off and power lines brought down.”
The amber warning comes into force from 5am on Friday and lasts until 9pm.
Any resulting power cuts could be prolonged says the Met Office.
Already, a youth festival planned for this weekend has been cancelled due to the forecast.
Red warnings are issued rarely: the last one was in November 2021 ahead of the arrival of Storm Arwen, which saw very strong winds batter areas on the east coast of Scotland and north-east coast of England.
Several red warnings were issued in late February and early March 2018 during the so-called “Beast from the East”, the storm that brought widespread heavy snow and freezing temperatures to many parts of the UK.
Storm Eunice is predicted to bring in winds around 90mph in coastal areas while inland areas could still see gusts up to 80mph.
There are yellow weather warnings, the next level down, for wind and snow for a large part of Scotland and the whole of Northern Ireland.