One down, one to go - the latest on Storm Dudley and Storm Eunice in Lancashire

Author: Grace MarnerPublished 17th Feb 2022
Last updated 18th Feb 2022

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A 'danger to life' weather warning's been issued for tomorrow (18th February), as thousands of homes, including some in Lancashire, are still without power after yesterday's storm.

The Met Office issued a weather warning for wind across Lancashire yesterday as Storm Dudley hit the UK with up to 90mph gusts.

Power for the remaining 166 homes in our county without power is expected to be restored by 3pm this afternoon.

Disruption to travel is ongoing this morning after falling trees caused issues on the railway line further north yesterday between Oxenholme and Penrith as well as the track between Wigton and Aspatria.

Any tickets for travel north of Preston yesterday are still valid today.

Although there are no weather warnings until the early hours of tomorrow morning, we have got some flood alerts along the Lancashire coast as Storm Dudley's affect is still felt with higher tides and big waves to come.

People are being asked to avoid the beaches, promenades and coastal footpaths as the high tide and large waves are still dangerous.

Blackpool council is also warning residents and visitors of "tar balls" that are washing ashore between the north and central piers.

That's due to 80,000 litres of oil leaked into Irish Sea off the coast of Wales earlier in the week

But we do have a short lull to prepare ourselves for the next onslaught of difficult weather conditions, as Storm Eunice is next to arrive.

How will Storm Eunice affect Lancashire?

The Met Office's next warning for Lancashire comes into force at 3am tomorrow morning and will last until 9pm that evening.

The amber warning for wind covers the majority of England. Lancashire could also see some snow, but more likely on higher ground.

There's also a chance of travel delays on roads and rail services, and it's being recommended people try and avoid travel.

We'll bring you the latest updates with the weather as we get them.

11.36am

The Met Office has issued a rare red weather warning for Storm Eunice tomorrow for parts of south-west England.

It's a slightly different story up here in Lancashire though.

There's an amber warning in Lancashire for wind which means there could be a danger to life due to flying debris. There is also a good chance that more homes will be affected by power cuts while on the coast, large waves and flooding is possible.

The Met Office's yellow weather warning for wind and snow does also creep it's way towards Lancashire, so we could be in store for some of the white stuff too.

12.06pm

TransPennine Express is urging their customers NOT to travel tomorrow.

It'll be running a minimal train plan as emergency speed restrictions are being put in place by Network Rail.

The train company is encouraging customers to travel today (17th February) or on Saturday (19th February) instead.

Paul Watson, Operations Director for TransPennine Express said: “Storm Eunice will be the second storm to impact our services this week and it is likely to cause major disruption to train services, right across the North of England and into Scotland.

“The most important thing is that our customers and staff are kept safe, and we are urging customers not to travel by train on Friday 18 February. We are instead asking customers to make their journeys on either Thursday 17 or Saturday 19 February.

“The situation with the weather is changing all the time, and customers should continue to check our website or National Rail Enquires for the latest information.”

18:36

People are being urged to stay home and avoid travelling as a red weather warning has been put in place ahead of Storm Eunice arriving.

It's the Met Office's highest alert level and means there's a danger to life.

Here in Lancashire there's just an amber warning in place, which means less danger - but we should still be extra careful.

Wind and showers are due through this evening. Then Storm Eunice arrives after midnight, bringing a spell of heavy rain and hill snow, accompanied by strengthening winds. Cloud will build from the south, with a patchy frost in the north too.

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.

4:10

The strong winds are leading to some trees being blown over locally...

The Met Office say some Wintry showers are due too through this evening and overnight

6:10

Preston train station has been evacuated after strong winds blew off a portion of the roof