South braced for blustery conditions as Storm Eunice approaches
Winds of up to 80mph are possible on Friday
Last updated 17th Feb 2022
Communities across the South for a blustery couple of days, as Storms Dudley and Eustice hit the region.
An amber weather warning is in place tomorrow (Friday 18th February) across Dorset, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and West Sussex, with the Met Office warning there is a "good chance" flying debris could result in a danger to life.
Across the South of England, wind gusts above 60mph are expected, and could reach highs of around 80mph.
What can we expect?
There is a good chance that flying debris could result in a danger to life
Damage to buildings and homes is likely, with roofs blown off and power lines brought down
Roads, bridges and railway lines are likely to close, with delays and cancellations to bus, train, ferry services and flights
There is a good chance that power cuts, possibly prolonged, could occur and possibly affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage
Large waves are likely and beach material is likely to be thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties
It is likely there will be falling branches and some uprooted trees
A Met Office spokesperson said:
"Extremely strong winds may develop over southwest England early on Friday, before spreading north and east during the day.
"Whilst there is still some uncertainty in the track of Eunice, there is an increasing likelihood of widespread inland wind gusts of 60-70 mph and up to 80 mph in a few places.
"Around coasts of west Wales and southwest England, gusts of 90 or possibly even 100 mph are possible. Winds are expected to ease across western areas through the afternoon, and eastern areas during the evening."
What are firms doing to limit disruption?
SSEN, which provides electricity networks across the South, has moved to a 'red alert' situation and is predicting 'widespread disruption' to infrastructure including cables and poles.
The firm is putting resilience plans in place in order to help deal with any issues.
Richard Gough, Director of Distribution System Operations at SSEN, said:
“We have been monitoring Storm Eunice for a number of days, including tracking the predicted path and intensity of the storm as it reaches landfall.
"Although it is forecast to be relatively short in duration, the wind gusts associated with the weather front are significant and widespread disruption to power supplies is likely across our operating region.
“We’d like to reassure our customers that we are making every preparation for the arrival of this significant weather front and we have allocated teams of engineers to locations expected to experience the worst of the weather conditions, to ensure we are ready to respond as soon as it’s safe to do so.
“Customers on our Priority Services Register are being contacted proactively, but I’d encourage anyone with serious health concerns about potential disruption to power supplies to give our dedicated teams a call on 105, where additional support and guidance can be given to help you prepare.”
What does it mean for travel?
Delays are likely on the roads, rails and on public transport during the blustery conditions on Friday.
Southern Rail has already confirmed that 50mph speed restrictions will be in place across much of its network.
South Western Railway has also confirmed that Island Line services on the Isle of Wight will not call at Ryde Pier Head on Friday, and will instead terminate at Ryde Esplanade.
In addition, trains will not run until at least 2pm on lines between Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier.
Highways teams in Hampshire are also being kept on standby to respond to any incidents on the county's roads, including fallen trees and debris.
Flood warnings have been issued for Poole Harbour at West Quay and Lower Hamworthy Quay, as well as in Christchurch Harbour.
A further flood alert is in place for the entire east coast of Dorset, stretching from Weymouth to Highcliffe.
You can check the latest flood warnings and alerts on the Environment Agency website.
Zoo to close ahead of strong winds
Marwell Zoo near Winchester has already announced it will shut its doors on Friday as a precautionary safety measure.
The wildlife park said it has contacted those who were due to travel there about their arrangements.