Update: Storm Eowyn, As Expected Leaves Big Trail Of Destruction In Ireland, Scotland

Fallen trees across railroad tracks in Scotland after 
Storm Eowyn.  Photo helps explains why the Scottish
rail system and to shut down during and after
the storm due to wind damage. 

As expected, Storm Eowyn, as it's known, crashed into Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland Thursday night and Friday, leaving behind a trail of power outages and damage. 

So far, only one death has been reported, which is one glimmer of good news.

At least a million power outages were reported in Ireland and northern Ireland, with 100,000 more across Scotland.  Power could be out for some people for as many as ten days. 

Photos and videos from the area show many roofs and building walls damaged and collapsed from the winds, along with countless trees blown over.  

Winds gusted as high as 114 mph at Mace Head on Ireland's west coast, the highest wind gust on record in Ireland. A storm in 1945 brought a 113 mph gust. 

The storm was well advertised by meteorologists and people heeded warnings to stay indoors, which minimized the death toll. The Associated Press said cities like Dublin, Belfast, Glasgow and Edinburgh were eerily quiet as normally bustling streets were nearly devoid of people, cars and public transportation during the storm. 

Scotland's rail system remained shut down Saturday as crews assessed damage to its network. 

Tree damage is enormous, and some of the damage is to rare or historic specimens. 

In Edinburgh, 15 valued trees in the Royal Botanic Garden were destroyed, including the tallest tree there, a 95-foot tall Cedrus deodara, planted in 1859. The storm also damaged greenhouses in the garden. 

On Glasgow, the more than 500 year old Darnley Sycamore was badly damaged, with several branches torn off.  This tree is reportedly the tree under which Mary Queen of Scots and her cousin and second husband, Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley, sat while she nursed him back to health from an illness in 1565.  

Behind the storm, wind and precipitation continued. Wind, snow and ice alerts remained in effect Saturday  and Sunday as a new storm roared in from the Atlantic Ocean. Though not as strong as Eowyn, the new weather system will causing strong, gusty winds and a risk of flooding in various parts the UK. 

Storm Eowyn had a long history.  It began as the bonkers, record breaking snowstorm along the Gulf Coast of the United States on Tuesday. 

Fueled by a combination of an insanely fast jet stream over the Atlantic Ocean, a cold outbreak originating from North America and much warmer than normal ocean waters just to the south, the storm explosively grew into a monster. 

 It mugged the British Isles as it raced past, hitting the west coast of Ireland Thursday night and rocketing away from Scotland's northeast coast by later Friday. 

VIDEOS

Good news account and summary of all the trouble Storm Eowyn caused. As always, click on this link to view, or if you see the image below, click on that. 

First half of this video is the most interesting. It shows a 100 year old building partly collapsing after damage from the high winds. Also lots of trees down along a highway and other damage. Click on this link to view, or if you see the image below, click on that.

Ireland, Scotland Bracing For Worst Storm In Generations

Satellite view of Storm Eowym bearing down
on the UK looks splotchy, but it is expected to
be one of the worst storms on record for Ireland,
Northern Ireland and Scotland. 

 A horrific storm was bearing down on Ireland, Scotland and other parts of the northern UK as forecasters warn of major wind destruction. 

The Met Office, the British equivalent of the U.S. National Weather Service, has issued its highest level alert, known as a red warning, for those in the path of what has been named Storm Eowyn. 

 Red warnings are rarely issued. 

Winds in the storm zone were forecast to gust into the 80 to 100 mph range, which is much stronger than almost any of the intense winter storms that often buffet the British Isles. 

Per The Guardian:

"The red warnings, an upgrade of existing amber warnings, cover all of Northern Ireland and parts of central and southern Scotland, including Edinburgh, Glasgow and Ayr. 

The UK government said more than 4.5 million people in Northern Ireland and Scotland have received emergency alerts - a 10 second siren sound - on their mobile phones on Thursday evening, the largest real life use of the tool to date."

The Met Office people under these warnings should expect flying debris that would be a danger to life, damage to homes and other buildings including roofs blown off, impassable roads due to fallen trees and power lines, large, battering waves that could destroy seaside homes and businesses, and widespread power outages. 

Ahead of Storm Eowyn, the Scottish government said its Parliament building would shut down Friday, as would all train service. Most schools and universities were also shuttering.  Scottish Police said they would soon issue a do not travel notice, telling people not to drive or otherwise travel anywhere during the storm. 

Police in Northern Ireland also urged everyone to shelter in place as they anticipated the worst winds since at least the 1998 Boxing Day storm. Others meteorologists are saying this will be the strongest storm to hit the region since 1961.

UK meteorologists have been sounding the alarm bells all days. "This is one major storm. I've not seen anything like it in my career," said Scottish weather presenter Judith Ralston.  Wave heights near the western coast of Ireland could end up being the highest on record. 

As in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland have suspended train and other public transit services.  

Ahead of the main storm, an apparent tornado touched down in Newquay, Cornwall earlier today, damaging several homes. 

 At midday Thursday, Storm Eowyn was well southeast of Greenland, racing toward Ireland while continuing to strengthen quickly. It should hit Ireland tonight, and the rest of the UK, including Scotland Friday. 

I'm sure I'll have an update on this once it hits.