Storm Eowyn is headed for Britain and Ireland

A powerful storm heading for Britain this week will bring the possibility of gusts of 100mph in some places, the latest blow from weather that has already brought snow. bitter and record-breaking in some parts of the United States.

A damaging storm from the storm, named Eowyn, is expected to arrive on Friday, with the strongest winds in parts of Northern Ireland, southern Scotland and northern parts of the country. and west of England and Wales. Gusts of between 60 and 70 miles per hour are forecast, with gusts of up to 100 miles per hour around the hills and coast of the Irish Sea as well as southwest Scotland. Some forecast models suggest gusts of between 100 and 120 mph for the west coast of Ireland, equivalent to the wind speed of a category 2 or 3 hurricane.

The intensity of Storm Eowyn has prompted the United Kingdom’s Met Office to issue its strongest red wind warning for Northern Ireland, central Ireland and south-west Scotland. It warned of a “dangerous situation with widespread disruption and significant impact”. This is the first red wind warning issued for Northern Ireland since the Met Office switched to impact-based warnings in 2011.

Paul Gundersen, chief meteorologist at the Met Office said: “We reserve the red warning for the worst weather that represents a risk to life and severe disruption, and that’s what -is with Storm Eowyn.”

The Irish Met Office issued a similar warning for the entire country on Friday. Rain is also expected, as well as snow in the hills of Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland.

Heavy rain is initially forecast to spread eastwards on Thursday, before turning wet and windy until early Friday as Cyclone Eowyn approaches, bringing rain and snow.

The Met Office has been naming severe thunderstorms since 2015 in conjunction with storm partners Met Eireann, the Irish Met Office, and the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute during the fall and winter seasons. The name of this storm was chosen by the Dutch weather service, which took suggestions from the public.

The contrast in temperature caused by the Arctic blast that has swept the United States in recent days and the warm moist air in the Gulf of Mexico has intensified the jet wave, a high-flying air that it drives the world’s weather from west to east, and often plays an active role in Britain’s weather.

The jet’s speed is usually between 190 and 220 miles per hour, but this week it has been gusting up to 260 mph. The last time Britain experienced such a storm was at the beginning of December with Cyclone Darragh, which was also influenced by strong winds. Wind speeds for this storm reached 93 mph in Wales.

The jet stream is also known for powering trans-Atlantic flights, which pilots sometimes use to speed up travel and save fuel. On Wednesday, the flight from Las Vegas to London reached a speed of 814 mph, close to the subsonic speed record of 835 mph, which was set by the flight from New York to Lisbon last February.

In the United States this week, bitter arctic air plunged much of the country into dangerously cold conditions, resulting in low temperatures not seen in decades, and the deadly cold.

The National Weather Service called it the coldest wind of the season, and it disrupted daily life for many across the country.

It helped dump a rare storm along the Gulf Coast, which received heavy snowfall from Houston to New Orleans, and prompted the first hurricane warnings for parts of Texas and Louisiana. Florida appears to have broken its record for the most snowfall in 24 hours, and in New Orleans, eight inches was recorded at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, giving the city its snowiest day ever. in over 100 years.

Eowyn is expected to move into the Norwegian Sea on Saturday, allowing for a short period of drier and calmer weather. Another storm system is forecast to bring similar damage to Britain on Sunday and Monday.

Amy Graff contributed to the report.