UK storm: Met Office extends rare ‘red’ warning as rail, road and air travel impacted

The UK is braced for more travel chaos as a second storm hits this morning (18 February).

Storm Eunice has been upgraded to a ‘red’ warning for London and southeast England as well as in parts of the southwest and south Wales. This is the highest level in the Met Office’s ranking of weather warnings, meaning there is a threat to life from flying debris.

It is the first time the danger-to-life weather warning has been issued for London and the southeast of England since this system began 11 years ago, and only the third such wind warning to be used in the UK since March 2018.

An amber warning remains in place for much of the rest of Wales and England as far north as Manchester.

Rail travel is significantly disrupted, with no Transport for Wales services at all today, National Rail announced this morning. Curtailed services are still running elsewhere, but passengers are being urged to avoid travelling.

It comes fast in the wake of Storm Dudley, which brought chaos to roads, rail and ferry services across northern England and Scotland on 16 February and left thousands without power.

Fallen trees and flying objects create a serious hazard for train drivers - with a trampoline obstructing one train for two hours outside Cardiff Central station on Wednesday.

An estimated 8 million trees were felled by Storm Arwen in November, and forestry officials expect Eunice to uproot even more.

Gusts have already been recorded of almost 87.5pmh near Swansea, and are expected to exceed 90mph later in the day, driving waves up to 22 feet off the Cornish coast.

The rare red warnings are currently in force until 12pm in the southwest, and 3pm in the southwest. Both are subject to change so it’s worth checking the Met Office for the latest forecast.

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