Power cuts and school closures as Storm Eovine hits

Thousands of people are without power and about 40 schools will be closed Friday as Hurricane Iovine brings fierce storm surge.

Several weather warnings have been issued by weather officeWhich also includes an amber warning for high winds.

Winds of up to 85 mph (137 km/h) caused multiple power outages in North Wales, while more than 2,200 people were without power in South and West Wales.

According to forecasters, there is a possibility of damage to homes and buildings and flooding.

Travel disruption is also expected on rail, road and ferry services, with ferry operations canceled until Friday afternoon and rail operators warning customers about the possibility of cancellations and delays.

A yellow warning for heavy rain is also in place for much of Wales on Friday morning.

SP Energy Network is reporting power cuts in North Wales, including the area around Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor, Bethesda, Tregarth, Llanbedr, Blaenau Ffestiniog and Menai Bridge on Anglesey.

In the south, energy supply company National Grid is reporting 29 separate incidents, with the worst affected areas currently in Three Cocks in Powys and Pontiacs in Carmarthenshire.

Around 33 schools in Anglesey and five in Gwynedd will be closed on Friday due to poor weather conditions.

Stena Line announced on Thursday that a number of ferry services running from Dublin to Holyhead had been canceled until Friday afternoon.

In a joint statement, Transport for Wales and Network Rail asked all customers to check before traveling on Friday and at the weekend as delays and cancellations were expected.

It said trains will not run on some lines and speed restrictions will be imposed at certain locations to minimize potential disruption.

Rail operators Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry and Grand Central have also warned customers not to travel to parts of North Wales and Scotland.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) closed four forests and reserves on Friday due to the danger of falling trees damaged by previous storms.

The visitor centers at Coed y Brenin in Gwynedd, Bwlch Nant yr Eireann and Ynyslas in Ceredigion, as well as Newborough National Nature Reserve and forests on Anglesey, will remain closed to the public.

The amber warning is in place from 06:00 GMT until 21:00 GMT on Friday and covers Anglesey, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Gwynedd.

Two more yellow weather warnings have been put in place on Friday, one warning of wind throughout the day across Wales and another warning of isolated rain until 09:00.

The rain warning covers Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Gwynedd, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea, Torfaen and Vale of Glamorgan.

Storm Eowyn is the fifth named storm of the 2024–25 season, which began in October.