A red 'danger to life' warning has been issued as a result of Storm Eunice sweeping across the UK.
Another week, another storm. This time it's Eunice, coming next in the alphabet of storm names after Storm Arwen, Barra, Corrie and Dudley.
From 10.00am to 3.00pm today, February 18, millions of people have been advised to stay at home, after the Met Office warned the 'extreme winds' of Storm Eunice could pose a 'danger to life'.
Yesterday, February 17, a separate red weather warning was issued for the southwest of the country, while another red alert – which are rare – was issued at around 4.00am, The Independent reports.
The latest warning covers the areas of Greater London, Kent, Surrey, Essex and East Sussex.
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Storm Eunice is expected to cause those locations 'significant disruption and dangerous conditions due to extremely strong winds'.
Forecasters have predicted that areas hit worst by the storm could not only face 'flying debris resulting in danger to life', but also see power lines 'brought down' and roofs 'blown off'.
Travel is also expected to be impacted, with roads closed, and delays and cancellations to train, bus, ferry and flight services.
Storm Eunice is anticipated to very negatively impact coastal areas, spurring on large waves and material from the beach being 'thrown onto coastal roads, sea fronts and homes'.
Power cuts and reduced or interrupted mobile phone coverage is also to be expected.
Between 5.00am and 9.00pm, the whole of England could be subject to winds of up to 80mph, and an amber warning has been issued as a result. Towards the coast, gusts of wind could reach more than 90mph.
The coastlines of Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and the south coast of Wales have subsequently been issued a red weather warning, with the storm expected to begin from 7.00am causing strong gusts and high tides.
For a whole 12 hours between 6.00am and 6.00pm, the National Highways road network has been issued a severe weather warning by the Met Office because of the expected strong winds.
'Vulnerable' vehicles such as caravans and motorbikes have been warned by the National Highways to avoid viaducts and bridges. The Prince of Wales and M48 Severn Bridge have also been closed.
Paul Gundersen, chief meteorologist at the Met Office, stated: 'After the impacts from Storm Dudley for many on Wednesday, Storm Eunice will bring damaging gusts in what could be one of the most impactful storms to affect southern and central parts of the UK for a few years.
'The red warning areas indicate a significant danger to life as extremely strong winds provide the potential for damage to structures and flying debris.'
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Poppy Bilderbeck