LIVE

Storm Eunice Live Updates: Thousands in U.K. Still Without Power

Live

Storm Eunice Live Updates: Thousands in U.K. Still Without Power

🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.

  • Northern Europe is being hit with record-high winds and coastal storm surges as Storm Eunice makes landfall.
  • The U.K, Netherlands, France and Belgium have issued weather alert as residents are advised to stay home.
  • Wind gusts reached over 100 mph in parts of southern England Friday.
  • Dozens of flights in and out of major airports have been canceled as planes struggle to land amid large wind gusts.
  • At least eight people have been killed across the continent after winds knocked over power lines, trees and construction cranes.
Storm Eunice
Storm waves break against Brighton Palace Pier on February 18, 2022 in Brighton, England. The Met Office has issued two rare, red weather warnings for the South and South West of England today as Storm... Tristan Fewings/Getty Images

Power outages continue as storm moves away from the U.K.

As Strom Eunice moves away from the U.K., thousands of people are still without power.

According to the UK Power Networks, there are currently 54,700 properties without power across the East of England and 113,400 off across the South East.

The company says it has restored power to 277,000 properties.

Western Power says over 146,000 costumers across Whales and the Midlands are still without power as of 5 p.m. GMT. Over 35,000 of their customers have had power restored.

"I'd like to thank customers for their patience. Conditions are still difficult for our staff," Operations Director Graham Halladay said in an update. "We are now working on deploying extra resources in the worst affected areas.

Uber Eats UK pauses delivery app

In a tweet Friday, Uber Eats UK announced they are temporarily pausing their app in areas where red weather warnings are in place.

"Due to the severe weather conditions, we are temporarily pausing the Uber Eats app in areas where there are red weather warnings in place. Safety is our priority, and we will re-open as soon as it is safe to do so," Uber Eats UK tweeted.

A message on the Uber Eats UK app reads, "for courier safety, our delivery service is currently unavailable due to a weather alert."

Storm Eunice death toll rises

The death toll from Strom Eunice continues to rise Friday.

A woman in her 30s died after a tree fell on a car in North London. She was pronounced dead on the scene, according to London Metropolitan Police.

This was the first known fatality in England due to Storm Eunice, according to Sky News.

The car's driver, a man also in his 30s, was taken to the hospital. His condition is believed to be non-life-threatening.

Another car passenger in Merseyside, England was also killed when debris struck the windshield of a car Friday afternoon. The man, in his 50s, was pronounced dead on the scene. The driver of that car was not injured.

"This is a very tragic incident, and our sympathies go out to the family and friends of the passenger and anyone else who has been affected," Merseyside Police Sergeant Amy Murray said.

A third person died in Hampshire after a car collided with a tree.

"Two men, in their 20s, were in the vehicle. Sadly, the passenger was pronounced dead at the scene," a statement from the Hampshire Police said. "The driver has been taken to Southampton General Hospital with serious injuries.

Three people died from fallen trees in the Netherlands and a man in Ireland was killed by a fallen tree while killing storm debris.

Three dead from falling trees in Netherlands

A red alert was issued for most of the Netherlands Friday as Storm Eunice moved across the country. Three people have been killed by falling trees in and around Amsterdam, the Associated Press reports. Residents were warned Friday to stay indoors amid risks of falling trees and debris due to strong winds.

Video from Amsterdam shows a large tree falling across a residential road Friday, narrowly crushing an SUV passing by. The tree brushed the rear of the vehicle as the driver continued down the street.

The roof of Cars Jeans ADO Den Haag Stadium in Hague was severely damaged by strong winds on Friday.

Eunice hits Netherlands
The roof of the Cars Jeans ADO Den Haag Stadium is damaged by strong winds as storm Eunice hits the country on Feb.18. Michel Porro/Getty Images

In Voorburg, a boat hangs from a large, uprooted tree.

Eunice knocks down trees in Netherlands
A boat hangs from a tree that was uprooted by storm Eunice in Voorburg, Netherlands on Feb. 18. Michael Corder/AP Photo

Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) warned of "very strong" wind gusts of 100-120 km/h Friday afternoon and evening for areas shaded in red.

"Significant damage and very dangerous situations can arise from falling trees and flying objects," KNMI wrote.

High winds rip roof of London's O2 arena

High winds up to 90 mph ripped parts of the fabric roof of London's O2 arena.

The venue was evacuated and will be closed for the rest of the day.

Crews Working on O2 Arena
Holes in O2 Arena Roof
Damage to O2 Arena
O2 Arena

"Unfortunately like many other, we have been hit by today's storm," O2 said in a statement. "There's damage to the tent fabric in our roof and the O2 will sadly remain closed for the rest of the day. As always, the safety of our visitors is most important and we will continue to monitor the situation and keep you updated."

Satellite images show Eunice from space

Satellite imagery shows Storm Eunice from space as it churns across the UK Friday.

Meteorologists report gusty winds will continue through Friday evening as the storm moves east.

Warnings will downgrade from "Amber" to "Yellow" for southern areas of the UK on Saturday. However, strong wind is still expected and could hamper recovery efforts into the weekend, the UK Met Office reports.

On the ground, record wind has knocked down trees, caused power outages and damaged property.

The London Fire Brigade declared a "major incident" as it responded to an onslaught of calls related to the storm.

"The high volume of calls has also prompted the Brigade to reiterate its advice for people to only call 999 if there is an emergency or if there's an immediate risk to life," London Fire Brigade wrote.

"Calls where there is a risk to life are prioritized and crews then attend other calls as non-emergencies when they can."

The Brigade received 550 calls in less than three hours late Friday morning, more than the average calls received over a typical 24-hour period. Among the incidents crews responded to across London were a balcony collapse and wind shredding the roof of London's O2.

Weather officials provide wind gust update

In a tweet, Friday Met Office UK provided the latest wind gusts associated with Storm Eunice after the deadly storm swept through parts of northern Europe.

  • Langdon Bay 77 mph
  • Odiham 74 mph
  • Middle Wallop 73 mph
  • Merryfield 71 mph
  • Heathrow 70 mph
  • Tibenham Airfield 67 mph

The wind gusts update comes hours after the Met Office said a 122 mph gust was recorded on the Isle of Wight.

"This is provisionally the highest gust ever recorded in England," the Met Office tweeted.

English lighthouse battered by waves

As Storm Eunice hits coastal U.K., large waves batter the Newhaven breakwater and lighthouse in Newhaven, England.

The U.K. Met Office recorded gusts of 122 mph on the Isle of Wight off the southern coast Friday.

Newhaven Lighthouse
Waves at Newhaven Lighthouse
Newhaven, England
Waves Newhaven, England

"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 U.K. for a few years," Paul Gundersen, the Met Office's chief meteorologist, told the Associated Press. "The red warning areas indicate a significant danger to life as extremely strong winds provide the potential for damage to structures and flying debris."

The Red Weather Warnings issued earlier for the South and South West of England have ended. There area is now under an Amber Weather Warning. The rest of England is under a Yellow Warning for rain and snow.

Watch planes land at London Heathrow

Pilots struggled to land at London's Heathrow Airport Friday amid strong winds from Storm Eunice.

Big Jet TV launched a livestream Friday from a field outside the airport. It shows plane after plane wobbling through the sky against strong winds.

Many planes struggled to get both wheels down on the runway.

The UK Met Office reported wind gusts clocking in at 70 miles per hour at London's Heathrow Airport around 3 p.m. Friday.

Channel founder Jerry Dyer provided his humorous commentary over the livestream throughout the day.

Big Jet TV was trending on Twitter, as more than 200,000 tuned in late Friday morning. Many said they were glued to the video for hours as Dyer narrated the process with his funny and encouraging remarks.

5 Dead as storm moves through northern Europe

Five people are dead after meteorologists warned Thursday that northern Europe could be affected by a series of storms over the coming days.

According to the Associated Press, two motorists in Germany, one age 37 and the other 55, were killed after trees fell onto their cars in Bad Bevensen, south of Hamburg, and the Harz region southwest of Berlin. In addition, a car passenger died near Osnabrueck after the vehicle's trailer was blown into the path of a truck.

Two people also died in the Polish city of Krakow, where strong winds caused a construction crane to collapse.

Forecasters are still warning of more damage Friday as the storm makes its way through northern Europe.

To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.

About the writer

Lauren Giella is a Senior Reporter based in New York. She reports on Newsweek's rankings content, focusing on workplace culture, health care and sustainability, profiling business leaders and reporting on industry trends. Lauren joined Newsweek in 2021 and previously covered live and breaking news, national news and politics and high school debate on the Mightier Hub. She is a graduate of the University of Southern California. You can get in touch with Lauren by emailing l.giella@newsweek.com

,

Alex is a Newsweek editor based in New York City. She previously worked as a TV news anchor, reporter and producer across the West Coast, most recently for the CBS affiliate in Las Vegas. Email: a.backus@newsweek.com

and

Lauren Giella is a Senior Reporter based in New York. She reports on Newsweek's rankings content, focusing on workplace culture, ... Read more