More strong winds and heavy rain for UK as Storm Herminia arrives

170,000 properties had no power on Saturday night after Storm Éowyn

Storm Éowyn hit Alderton Heights, at Moor Allerton in Leeds
Author: Matt HewittPublished 26th Jan 2025
Last updated 26th Jan 2025

More strong winds and heavy rain are approaching the UK as Storm Eowyn dies down.

The last of Eowyn is pushing across the UK overnight and producing snow and ice warnings in parts of Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Around 35,000 properties in Scotland were still without power on Saturday evening, and 140,000 were disconnected in Northern Ireland.

Today (Sunday), a new low-pressure system is moving in from the south west bringing further strong winds and heavy rain.

Spanish meteorologists have dubbed it Storm Herminia, as the European country will feel the strongest winds.

It hit the south west of England and south west Wales first and then move into Northern Ireland and northern England on Sunday afternoon, reaching parts of Scotland by the evening.

Met Office meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey said: "This is certainly going to be a notch down compared to Eowyn, whilst there is the potential for 60 to 70mph gusts of wind across the very far south west generally, we're not going to be seeing the same strengths of winds as we have seen over the last couple of days."

However "there are a lot of sensitivities around" following Eowyn, he said.

More than a million people in the UK were without power during the storm, and there was significant travel disruption across the UK and Ireland.

Multiple weather warnings have been issued

Ministers from across the UK held an emergency Cobra meeting on Saturday to co-ordinate recovery efforts, and extra engineers were dispatched from England to Northern Ireland and Scotland.

"Obviously places maybe currently have a bit of a lower threshold for wind strengths at this stage, following all the disruption and damage that's been put in place", Mr Vautrey said.

"It is something that people certainly need to be wary of, and still taking care of, as we head into Sunday and into the start of the new working week as well - the risk of localised flooding, further flying debris and travel disruption is possible as a result of all of this."

The low-pressure system will linger through Monday and Tuesday bringing outbreaks of rain, occasional heavy showers and blustery winds in places.

70mph gusts

There are 7 warnings in effect.

A yellow warning for wind until 5pm on Sunday:

London & South East England, North West England, SW Scotland, Lothian Borders, South West England, Strathclyde, Wales, West Midlands

A second yellow warning for wind until 7pm on Sunday:

Northern Ireland

A third yellow warning for wind on Sunday, until 7am tomorrow (Monday):

East Midlands, East of England, London & South East England, North East England, South West England, West Midlands, Yorkshire & Humber

A fourth yellow warning for wind on Sunday until 1pm:

Cornwall, Devon, Isles of Scilly, Plymouth, Torbay

A further yellow warning for wind, for tomorrow (Monday) from 6am for 24 hours:

East of England, London & South East England, South West England, Wales

A yellow warning for rain until 6am on Monday:

East Midlands, East of England, London & South East England, North West England, South West England, Wales, West Midlands, Yorkshire & Humber

A further yellow warning for rain on Sunday and Monday:

Wales, Herefordshire and Shropshire

The Met Office has warned 10 to 20mm of rain will fall, nearing 30 to 50mm on high ground.

A further heavy spell on Sunday evening could bring as much as 80mm.

"Given recent heavy rain, this extra rainfall could lead to some local surface water and river flooding", the Met Office said.

'Bearing the brunt'

The West Midlands and most of Wales have a yellow heavy rain warning between 6am and 11.59pm on Monday.

The Met Office said yet another low-pressure front will pick up on Wednesday and again arrive in the south-west.

Mr Vautrey said: "South-western areas certainly bearing the brunt this time in terms of the most unsettled conditions.

"The first half of next week, still pretty unsettled."

'Somewhat extraordinary'

There are tentative signs of calmer weather for much of the UK next weekend, he added.

Storm Eowyn has been "somewhat extraordinary", the meteorologist said.

Multiple weather systems are arriving at the same time because of the placement of the jet stream, he added.

"It's being fuelled by the cold wave that they've had recently over the United States and Canada, and that contrast between the cold air there, and the mild air pushing in from the equator is helping to fuel this very powerful jet stream across the Atlantic at the moment.

"It's the exact positioning of the jet stream that determines who sees the low pressure and who sees the strongest winds.

"Initially it helped steer Eowyn up towards the north west of the UK, and so we saw the strongest winds from that (there).

"Whereas with this next system that the Spanish have named, because the jet stream is just slightly further south now, it's pushing it a little bit more to the south of the UK, but into parts of continental Europe as well - that's why they're seeing the strongest winds".

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