Northern Ireland prepares for red weather warning

Police have said a “major incident” has been declared as Boxing Day is expected to be hit by the strongest winds to hit Northern Ireland since 1998.

Ahead of Storm Eowyn, both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have been issued red weather warnings for the first time.

Schools, colleges and universities are closed and most hospital appointments have been canceled as “significant disruption” is expected as a result of the storm.

A rare red weather warning will be in effect across Northern Ireland from 07:00 to 14:00 GMT on Friday.

The Met Office has said there is a threat to life and political leaders have urged people to stay at home.

Many businesses, including supermarkets Lidl, Tesco and Sainsbury’s, are also closed due to the high winds.

Public transport service provider TransLink has said that bus and train services will not run during the red alert.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has advised the public to take all necessary precautions to keep themselves safe and not to travel.

The PSNI issued the following advice:

• Make sure your devices are charged
• Make sure you have emergency lights like a flashlight readily available in case of a power cut
• Be prepared to have extra blankets or access to sources of heat if your heating supply is interrupted
• Check with your vulnerable family, friends and neighbors to make sure they have adequate provisions in case caregivers, etc., cannot reach them.
• Call 999 in case of emergency

First Minister Michelle O’Neill on Thursday People were advised to work from home and avoid unnecessary travel.

She said she wanted to emphasize that a red alert is very serious and is only used if there is a real threat to life.

Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengley said people should stay inside where possible.

Education Minister Paul Givhan said he understood the closure would affect the work of schools and other businesses but that the decision had been taken “to avoid any potential risk to the lives of children and young people as well as staff”.

UK government issued The “largest real-life use to date” of its emergency alert system, notifying approximately 4.5 million people of severe weather in Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland.

There will be no TransLink buses or trains running in Northern Ireland from Friday morning to noon.

Services director Ian Campbell said services would be restored “wherever it is safe to do so”.

A number of flights have been canceled from Belfast City Airport, while Belfast International Airport and City of Derry Airport have also warned people of delays and cancellations.

Dublin Airport said there may be “some disruption” to Friday’s flight schedule and passengers should contact their airline directly for updates.

P&O has announced the cancellation of ferries between Larne and Cairnryan from 04:00 to noon and Stena Line services between Ireland and Great Britain are also severely disrupted.

Northern Ireland’s four health trusts are advising that all appointments are cancelled, or should be treated as cancelled, unless you have been specifically contacted to say otherwise.

The South Eastern, Belfast, Western and Northern health trusts say this includes red flag cancer referrals and all scheduled appointments, which are expected to cause “significant disruption”.

The exceptions are emergency departments and care, which will operate as normal.

The Southern Health Trust says all outpatient appointments and all elective surgeries, including red flag and urgent, have been cancelled.

the storm is iowyn Fifth named storm of the seasonThis is caused by powerful jet stream winds that are pushing a low pressure over the Atlantic Ocean towards the UK and Ireland following the recent cold snap in North America.

Red is the most severe weather warning the Met Office can issue, meaning that dangerous weather is expected and people are urged to take action to keep themselves and others safe.

The red warning for the whole of Northern Ireland remains in effect until 14:00 on Friday.

It is the first time that a red weather warning has been issued for Northern Ireland since the impact-based system was introduced in 2011.

Winds are expected to increase rapidly Friday morning with gusts of 80–90 mph (130–145 km/h) and possibly 100 mph on some exposed coasts.

Apart from this, amber and yellow warnings will continue on Friday also.

There are other warnings too In some parts of the United Kingdom.

In the Republic of Ireland, Met Éireann has warned that “severe, damaging and destructive winds” are expected.

There the red alert is in effect at various times from 02:00 local time.

Speaking to RTÉ, the chairman of the National Emergency Co-ordination Group said Storm Eowyn would “likely be one of the worst storms ever seen in Ireland”.

An Garda Síochána (Irish police) warned all members of the public that a red severe weather warning means “shelter in place”.

Meanwhile, a yellow warning for high wind has been issued for Northern Ireland from 08:00 am to 15:00 pm on Sunday.

The Met Office expects stronger winds ahead, with gusts up to 60 mph (100 km/h) and gusts up to 70 mph (115 km/h) along exposed coasts and hills.