Storm Éowyn to hit the UK as Met Office forecasts weather bomb with winds strong enough to bring down trees

Storm Éowyn is set to hit the UK this week, with winds from a weather bomb strong enough to take down trees.

Storm Éowyn was officially named by the Met Office this morning (January 21).

They say there’ll be a major change in the weather on Thursday (January 23). A deep area of low pressure is to deepen rapidly whilst crossing the Atlantic, bringing strengthening winds to western parts of the UK overnight, followed by heavy rainfall.

Crashing waves. | Andy Buchanan / AFP via Getty Images

A yellow weather warning for wind has been issued for Central, Tayside and Fife, Grampian, Highlands and Eilean Siar, Northern Ireland, Orkney and Shetland, SW Scotland, Lothian Borders and Strathclyde from 00:00 January 24 to 12:00 January 25.

Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist, Chris Almond, said: “A very deep area of low pressure will bring a very unsettled, potentially disruptive, spell of weather to the UK through Friday and into Saturday. Winds will begin to strengthen on Thursday night with the peak gusts forecast through Friday in Northern Ireland and western Scotland. The wind will also be accompanied by heavy rain bringing some unpleasant conditions to end the week.

“We have issued a Yellow weather warning for wind, and with several days before the impactful weather, the forecast details are likely to be fine-tuned during the week, so stay tuned to your local forecast and keep up to date with Met Office warnings.

“As the low develops over the Atlantic and interacts with the jet stream it will rapidly strengthen, a phenomenon called ‘explosive cyclogenesis’, where the central pressure of a low at latitudes in which the UK lies drops 24 millibars or more in 24 hours. This is forecast to happen on Thursday while the system is out over the Atlantic and it will be a mature feature by the time it reaches the UK.”

The Met Office added that, as the area of low pressure weakens and continues its north easterly track to the north of the UK, Saturday (January 25) will remain a breezy day everywhere with strong winds persisting in the far North. It will be drier with showers replacing persistent heavy rain. By Sunday (January 26), another area of low pressure could bring further wet and very windy weather across the UK.

What is a weather bomb?

According to the Met Office, a 'weather bomb' is an unofficial term for a low pressure system whose central pressure falls 24 millibars in 24 hours in a process known as ‘explosive cyclogenesis’.

Rapid acceleration of air caused by the jet stream high up in the atmosphere can remove air from the column, reducing its weight so causing pressure to fall at sea level. This in turn sucks in air which converges from surrounding regions resulting in faster and faster rotation of the circulation. The resulting winds peak over a period of a few hours and can be strong enough to bring down trees and cause structural damage.