Storm Eunice ripped through London on Friday, sparking a red alert about the “risk to life” and bringing the capital to a near-shutdown.
Londoners were ordered to stay at home as dozens of flights were cancelled, train services were axed and the M25 Dartford bridge crossing was shut. People were advised only to travel if “absolutely necessary”.
The Royal Parks, Kew Gardens and local parks were closed to prevent danger from falling trees. The London Eye, London Zoo and Emirates cable car were among the attractions closed. It came after the Met Office this morning extended a red warning, already in place in the South-West, to include London and the South-East, with the worst conditions including winds of up to 70mph expected until 3pm.
Walkers were advised to stay away from the Thames riverside.
Gusts of up to 92mph were recorded this morning at the Needles on the Isle of Wight, the Met Office said — amid predictions that wind speeds could hit 100mph. P&O Ferries suspended all sailings between Dover and Calais. The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, urged millions of people across England to “take precautions to keep safe”.
The storm, described as one of the worst in a generation, was expected to cause “flying debris resulting in danger to life” and damage to buildings, with roofs blown off and power lines brought down, the Met Office red warning said. Security minister Damian Hinds said the Army was on “high readiness stand-by” to help and confirmed that Whitehall’s emergency Cobra committee was meeting today to discuss the storm threat and response to it. He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “Cobra have been convened about making sure the readiness is in place for this storm.”
Mayor Sadiq Khan cancelled a trip to east London and said: “This red warning indicates a risk to life as extremely strong winds are now expected in the capital, providing the potential for flying debris and damage to buildings.
“I urge all Londoners to stay at home, do not take risks and do not travel unless it is absolutely essential.
“City Hall is in close contact with key agencies across the capital and our city is as prepared as possible for any potential impacts of Storm Eunice.
“However, it is vital that Londoners listen to the official advice today and stay at home until the storm has passed.”
The “sting jet” storm was caused by the dangerous combination of high tides and intensely strong winds.
Met Office chief meteorologist Paul Gundersen said it could be “one of the most impactful storms to affect southern and central parts of the UK for a few years”. Dr Friederike Otto, from the Grantham Institute for Climate Change, Imperial College London, said: “Winter storms have got worse because of human-caused climate change for two reasons. One: the rainfall associated with these winter storms has become more intense, and many studies link this clearly to climate change. Two: because of sea level rise storm surges are higher and thus more damaging than they would otherwise be.”
At Heathrow, at least 65 flights —both departures and arrivals — were cancelled and a further 114 were delayed. At Gatwick there were 15 cancellations and 67 delayed flights. Network Rail advised passengers not to travel on Southern, Thameslink and Great Northern services.
Speed restrictions of 50mph were in place across the three rail networks, with no Thameslink services between St Pancras and Blackfriars and no guarantees that passengers would be able to complete their journeys.
East Midlands Railway says trains to and from London St Pancras “may be withdrawn at short notice”. London Overground services into Liverpool Street were hit this morning by debris blown onto the tracks near Bethnal Green, but later resumed.
A Transport for London spokesperson said: “Due to the Met Office’s red warning over Storm Eunice, customers are advised to only travel if essential and those who need to should check before they travel using our website and the TfL Go app.
“We are doing all we can to ensure we are prepared for any impact with extra staff ready to respond quickly to any incidents but some services will be affected by the extreme weather. We are also urging Londoners to please take care if they travel around the city.”
The RAC said: “Early indications are that most people are taking the weather warnings seriously and not setting out.” A spokesman added: “We continue to urge drivers not to set out unless they absolutely have to.”
