By Ashley Young-
The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning covering central Scotland, parts of Northern Ireland, and northern England above Hull.
Serious warnings of power cuts have been issued with transport disruption expected as the storm comes in and further weather warnings for high winds, effective across the country.
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Forecasters have warned that storms may cause danger to life and “damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs,” the forecaster warned. Paramedics in parts of England warned people against going outdoors as Storm Dudley swept in.
Residents of Wales have been warned to stay indoors as winds of up to 100mph could batter parts of the city on Friday, with people warned to stay indoors. Storm Eunice is predicted to cause power cuts, damage to homes, coastal flooding and cause a lot of travel chaos.
An amber warning for Friday has been issued because of strong winds, with the possibility of a “very rare” red warning for some areas.
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It comes after Storm Dudley caused power cuts, felled trees and blew a trampoline on to a railway line. East Midlands Railway and LNER have asked passengers not to travel on Friday due to the threat posed to services by Storm Eunice. Network Rail has introduced speed restrictions on the east coast line over fears that infrastructure will be damaged in the high winds.
Wind speeds of up to 90mph have been predicted, while gusts of 66mph have already been recorded at Emley Moor, West Yorkshire.
The worst of the storm is expected to hit between 2pm to midnight, with a yellow weather warning covering the rest of north England and the midlands.
Storm Dudley will be followed by a second named storm, Storm Eunice, on Friday, which could be potentially more damaging, with stronger winds and the chance of heavy snow.
Another amber warning has been issued, with the potential for stronger winds, and predictions that gusts could top 90mph in the south west and south Wales.
Met Office spokeswoman Nicola Maxey said: “We are looking at particularly stormy period right now, with two named storms coming through one after the other.
“This sort of weather set-up is typical for the UK in the winter, with low pressure coming in from the west, driven by the jet stream.”
Strong winds have damaged the roof at Wolverhampton station meaning some platforms are currently closed. A tree is blocking the railway between Birmingham Snow Hill and Whitlocks End.
An object got caught in the overhead electric wires between Walsall and Rugeley Trent Valley. Lines are now reopening but trains may still be cancelled or revised.
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