Summary

  • Three people have been killed on roads as Storm Eunice hits the UK

  • A woman in her 30s has died in north London, a man in his 50s has died in Merseyside and a man in his 20s has died in Hampshire

  • Several other people have been injured by falling trees and flying debris, while another man has died in the Republic of Ireland

  • About 200,000 homes are without power across the UK, according to Environment Secretary George Eustice

  • It has brought widespread travel disruption with hundreds of trains and flights cancelled

  • In London, parts of the O2 Arena's roof have been shredded

  • A wind gust of 122mph at the Needles on the Isle of Wight is provisionally the highest gust ever recorded in England

  • An amber warning for wind is in place across the Midlands, southern England and Wales until 21:00 GMT

  • There are yellow warnings for snow, ice and wind in Northern Ireland and Scotland

  1. What's been happening today?published at 20:01 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2022

    Brighton, East SussexImage source, ALAMY LIVE NEWS
    Image caption,

    Brighton, East Sussex

    That brings an to end our live coverage of Storm Eunice.

    Be sure to get the latest updates by keeping an eye on the BBC News website, but here's a reminder of what's happened today:

    • Three people have been killed on roads in the UK as the storm hit
    • Several other people have been injured by falling trees and flying debris, while another man has died in the Republic of Ireland
    • High winds are expected to remain until 21:00 GMT across the majority of the UK
    • Hundreds of flights have been cancelled and trains suspended, but services will resume on Saturday in Wales
    • About 200,000 homes are without power supply across the UK, according to Environment Secretary George Eustice
    • Homes and popular buildings, such as London's O2 Arena, have been damaged by severe winds
    • Saturday is forecast to see a mostly dry and bright start, with sunny spells in the south and east but rain will spread across Northern Ireland and parts of England and Wales, with snow on hills.

    Today's updates have been written by Maria Zaccaro, Dulcie Lee, Andrew Segal, Jeremy Gahagan, Jo Couzens, Hazel Shearing, Tyler Edwards and Bob Dale and the page has been edited by Francesca Gillett, Paul Gribben, Jasmine Taylor-Coleman, Kevin Ponniah and James Clarke.

    Waves on Aberystwyth seafrontImage source, Reuters
  2. Lorry topples over on M4 and roofs fly off Welsh housespublished at 19:57 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2022

    Video footage captures the moment a lorry is blown over in high winds on a motorway as Storm Eunice hit Wales.

    Two lorries were blown over on the M4 westbound between J37 at Pyle and J38 at Groes, south Wales.

    The roof of a house in Newport was also blown off, buildings damaged, trees uprooted and there has been localised flooding after 92mph (148km/h) gusts were recorded off the Welsh coast.

    A very rare red warning for wind expired at 12:00 GMT, but as we've been reporting, an amber warning remains in place across the whole of Wales until 21:00.

  3. CCTV captures toppling tree as it crushes car during stormpublished at 19:52 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2022

    Duncan Kennedy
    BBC South of England Correspondent

    Tree falls on parked car during Storm Eunice captured by CCTVImage source, Dave Monro

    A family in East Sussex have lost their car to Storm Eunice - and it was all captured on their home CCTV.

    The pictures show a large tree on the pavement outside their driveway in Seaford, near Eastbourne, toppling on to the car.

    The tree smashed the windshield and the bonnet. No-one was hurt.

    Bethany Monro, whose dad David owns the car, says she was "shocked and couldn’t believe it".

    A team of tree surgeons had to be brought in to cut up the tree and remove it.

    The family have been in touch with their insurance company.

    Tree surgeon cuts up fallen tree
  4. Drivers rescue ambulance stuck in snow on 999 callpublished at 19:48 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2022

    People pushing ambulanceImage source, Fubar news

    An ambulance rushing a baby girl to hospital in Aberdeenshire has been rescued by members of the public after becoming stuck in heavy snow.

    Ten-month-old Jessica Louise Macleod, who spent the first six months of her life in hospital with a congenital heart defect, became ill today after developing breathing difficulties.

    At the time, heavy snow from Storm Eunice was causing massive disruption to roads in the area and the ambulance became stuck in snow as it raced to hospital in Aberdeen.

    Jessica Louise's mum, Melissa, 32, was amazed at how the public jumped immediately to help.

    "There were vehicles not moving out of the way for the ambulance, so a lorry driver got out his vehicle and started walking down the road in the snow to tell people to move," she says.

    "The ambulance had to drive on the untreated part of the road, where it became stuck. Literally within seconds there were people pushing the ambulance to free it."

    Read more here.

  5. 'Check on vulnerable,' says Wales' FMpublished at 19:38 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2022

    Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford has urged people to "take care" and "check on vulnerable neighbours" as high winds continue.

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  6. 'Tireless' work to make area safe after woman killed in Haringeypublished at 19:34 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2022

    Work is being carried out to make roads clear and safe in the area of north London where a woman was killed when a tree fell on a car.

    The woman, aged in her 30s, was a passenger and died at the scene this afternoon on Muswell Hill Road.

    Councilor Peray Ahmet, leader of Haringey council, says she is "deeply saddened" by the news and offers her condolences to her family.

    “Our teams are working tirelessly to clear fallen trees and debris and to secure any structures that pose a risk to the public," she adds.

    "I urge all residents to follow official advice and be alert to the dangers that come with the extreme weather that continues to affect the borough.”

  7. Rail services to resume on Saturday in Walespublished at 19:27 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2022

    Passengers boarding trainImage source, Getty Images

    Transport for Wales (TfW) services will resume on Saturday after all trains across the country were suspended on Friday due to the storm.

    But customers are being urged to check the latest information because damage will not be fully known until early in the morning, the company says.

    Services will therefore restart later and a small minority will be replaced by road transport.

    TfW said Saturday tickets will also be accepted on Sunday and Monday, with no need for customers to change or amend dates.

  8. Man in 20s dies as truck hits fallen treepublished at 19:22 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2022

    We've got details now of a third death in the UK during Storm Eunice.

    A man in his 20s was killed in Alton, Hampshire, when a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter pick-up hit a fallen tree in Old Odiham Road just before midday.

  9. Mum and daughter 'lucky to be alive' after roof caves inpublished at 19:16 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2022

    Holly Price standing in front of her damage house

    One minute Holly Price and her five-year-old daughter Olivia were having a "normal pyjamas day", the next they both evacuated the house after the roof caved in.

    Holly, from Newport, south Wales, says: "My daughter was upstairs and we heard an almighty bang and a lot of noise.

    "I just dropped to the ground, then ran upstairs to grab my daughter because she was screaming."

    The chimney breast had fallen through and left "dust and debris everywhere".

    "I grabbed my daughter, and any clothes that I could, and took her outside.

    "The sound will never, ever leave me – it was just heart-breaking to hear my daughter screaming."

    "I had no idea what was happening until I opened the door. It’s lucky we’re alive," she adds.

    The pair will be staying at a family member's house tonight, then see if they can get emergency shelter.

  10. More details on man killed by debris hitting car in Merseysidepublished at 18:58 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2022

    We've had some more detail on a man, in his 50s, who has died after debris struck the windscreen of the vehicle he was travelling in.

    Merseyside Police say they were called just after 14:10 GMT to Switch Island, Dunnings Bridge Road in Netherton.

    The man who was driving the vehicle was not injured but the passenger died at the scene.

    Officers say the man's next of kin have been informed and inquiries into the incident are ongoing.

  11. Woman with baby hit by falling tree amid stormpublished at 18:53 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2022

    A junction between Bedford's Embankment and Bushmead AvenueImage source, Google
    Image caption,

    It happened at a junction between Bedford's Embankment and Bushmead Avenue

    A woman with a baby has been seriously injured when they were hit by a falling tree.

    The ambulance service was called to the Embankment and Bushmead Avenue area of Bedford shortly after 14:00 GMT, a spokesman says.

    The woman was taken to Bedford Hospital for treatment for injuries to her lower leg and pelvis, while the baby was uninjured, the ambulance service says.

    Bedfordshire Police say the seriously injured woman was believed to be in her 50s.

    People have been advised to avoid the area.

    Read more here.

  12. London mayor pays tribute to woman killed in Haringeypublished at 18:44 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2022

    We have a bit more information now on a woman, aged in her 30s, who has been killed this afternoon when a car was hit by a falling tree in north London.

    Police were called shortly after 16:00 GMT to Muswell Hill Road near the junction with South Close, in Haringey borough.

    The London Ambulance Service and London Fire Brigade also attended but the woman, who was a passenger in the car, was pronounced dead at the scene.

    Officers say they believe they know her identity and her family has been informed.

    The driver of the car, a man aged in his 30s, has been taken to hospital. His condition is not believed to be life-threatening.

    Road closures are in place at the location.

    Mayor of London Sadiq Khan says: "My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the woman who tragically lost her life and the man who was seriously injured in Highgate this afternoon."

    He also pays tribute to the emergency services "who have been working tirelessly to keep us safe" and urges all Londoners to remain cautious and avoid taking risks as the storm passes.

  13. Is there a link between Storm Eunice and climate change?published at 18:40 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2022

    Matt McGrath
    Environment correspondent

    While there are undoubtedly some important influences from our changing climate, it is not possible to say that climate change has “caused” this extreme event.

    There has been considerable debate here among UK researchers about whether we are seeing more frequent and more intense storms as a result of climate change, but two studies after the extremely stormy winter of 2013-14 concluded there was no clear evidence for a link between climate change and increased storminess.

    The UK Met Office also said in their State of the Climate , externalreport in 2020: “There are no compelling trends in maximum gust speeds recorded by the UK wind network in the last five decades.”

    But warming can influence a storm like Eunice in other ways.

    For example, a warmer atmosphere can hold considerably more moisture, which increases the intensity of downpours and hence the risk of flooding.

    Climate change has also pushed up sea levels around the globe which makes it easier for storms to whip up large sea surges.

    On the central question of climate change and the frequency of storms like Eunice, scientists are clear that more research is needed.

    Waves at Porthleven
    Image caption,

    Waves hit Porthleven on the Cornish coast this morning

  14. Man dies after debris hits windscreen in Merseysidepublished at 18:25 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2022
    Breaking

    A 50-year-old man has been killed after debris struck the windscreen of a vehicle in Netherton, Merseyside, during the storm this afternoon.

    Police say another man who was driving the vehicle was not injured.

  15. Woman killed by falling tree in Londonpublished at 18:10 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2022
    Breaking

    A woman in her 30s has died after a tree fell on a car in Haringey, north London, on Friday afternoon during Storm Eunice, the Met Police confirm.

  16. Transport disruption continues across UKpublished at 18:06 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2022

    A railway worker inspects a trampoline blown onto the train trackImage source, Network Rail

    Storm Eunice has been causing travel chaos, with hundreds of flights cancelled, rail lines blocked and road bridges closed.

    A rare "do not travel" alert was issued earlier across Britain's railways and more than 430 flights due to take off or land at UK airports have been cancelled.

    Seven train operators suspended all services this afternoon - c2c, Chiltern Railways, Great Western Railway, Greater Anglia, South Western Railway, Southeastern and Transport for Wales.

    Network Rail has closed all routes in Kent, while every line in south-east London has been blocked by trees.

    Transport for Wales said its train services would resume tomorrow - but disruption to rail travel is likely to continue early on across the UK.

    Jake Kelly, Network Rail's group director, says:

    Quote Message

    Starting tonight and carrying on through the weekend we will be working round the clock to fix the damage that the storm has done to the railway, but passengers should be checking their journeys over the weekend as we carry out these repairs."

  17. What does the weather have in store this weekend?published at 17:55 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2022

    People cross the Thames near St Paul's Cathedral in LondonImage source, PA Media

    Will there be calm after the storm in time for the weekend's clear-up?

    Saturday will see a mostly dry and bright start tomorrow, with sunny spells in the south and east but rain will spread across Northern Ireland and parts of England and Wales, with snow on hills. Sunny spells remain for Scotland.

    While winds won't be as strong as today, there are gusts forecast for south and south-west England, Herefordshire and large parts of Wales which the Met Office says could hamper clear-up operations.

    Sunday looks likely to be a windy and unsettled day with further spells of rain followed by showers, some of which will be wintry in the north of the UK, especially across the hills.

    Be sure to keep an eye on BBC Weather for the latest updates.

  18. Iconic bandstand destroyed by Storm Eunicepublished at 17:46 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2022

    De La Warr Pavillion bandstandImage source, De La Warr Pavillion

    The bandstand at the De La Warr Pavilion on Bexhill-on-Sea seafront in East Sussex has blown away in the high winds.

    Launched just over 20 years ago, the iconic piece of architecture was torn apart by Storm Eunice.

    The Pavilion itself - an arts centre in a modernist building dating back to 1935 - has been closed all day.

  19. Government learning lessons from Arwen - Labour frontbencherpublished at 17:39 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2022

    Labour's spokesman for the environment has said the government’s response to Storm Eunice stands in "stark contrast" to its response when storms hit the north of England in November - when, he said, “the government were nowhere to be seen".

    Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Jim McMahon said the government was hopefully beginning to “learn the lessons” from Storm Arwen, which saw a million homes lose power.

    Earlier, Environment Secretary George Eustice said that while 200,000 homes were currently without power, teams were working hard to get people reconnected.

    He said it had been easier to repair pylons this time because the effects of the storm were more dispersed across the country, compared to Arwen.

  20. Just joining us? Here's the latest from England and Walespublished at 17:24 Greenwich Mean Time 18 February 2022

    A fallen tree blocks a road in Eynsham in Oxfordshire due to Storm EuniceImage source, PA Media

    A Met Office amber warning - meaning there is a potential danger to life - remains in place across the Midlands, southern England, parts of northern England and all of Wales.

    It's been a busy day with significant disruption in both nations. Here are some of the latest headlines:

    • Three people have been taken to hospital after a car hit a tree in Bradford-on-Avon
    • One person is in hospital with serious injuries after being hit by debris from a roof in Henley-on-Thames
    • Two people have been taken to hospital in London after being hit by debris in separate incidents in Streatham and Waterloo
    • UK Power Networks say 168,100 homes are still without power across East and South East England
    • A total of 37,419 homes in south Wales are without power, and 2,500 in north Wales
    • Ferries have started running again from the Port of Dover
    • The M4 Prince of Wales Bridge has fully reopened but the M48 Severn Bridge remains closed