On Friday, a severe weather warning was upgraded to red, the highest level, for regions of south-west England and south Wales, indicating that flying debris poses a threat to life.
Storm Eunice, according to the Met Office, may produce gusts of up to 90 mph, creating major disruption. Home damage, train disruptions, and power outages are also possible, according to the report.
The red alert is in effect from 07:00 GMT until 12:00 GMT on Friday.
It encompasses the Devon, Cornwall, and Somerset coastlines, as well as the south coast of Wales.
From 05:00 to 21:00 on Friday, a lesser amber wind warning remains in effect for the whole of Wales and most of England as far north as Manchester.
All railway services in Wales were halted on Friday, and rail operators are advising passengers not to travel owing to anticipated disruption.
The government is hosting an emergency Cobra conference to discuss the storm’s reaction. It comes after Storm Dudley disrupted travel and caused power outages on Wednesday.
There are fears that Storm Eunice may cause coastal flooding in England’s west, south-west, and south coast. The Severn River is also a source of worry.
According to a government source, a storm surge might coincide with strong spring tides.
According to the source, they were “well-prepared” with more than 250 high-volume pumps and 6,000 trained personnel ready to deploy, and they were not taking Eunice’s threat “lightly”
The Met Office forecasted exceptionally severe winds over south-west England and south Wales early Friday, with widespread inland gusts of 70-80mph and up to 90mph along coastal beaches. It stated that conditions on beaches and seafronts will be hazardous.
Winds from the west are predicted to lessen in the late morning.
The most recent red alert was issued for Storm Arwen in November of last year, when powerful winds battered the east coast of Scotland and the north-east coast of England.
Prior to that, no warning had been issued since 2018, when the so-called “Beast from the East” brought widespread heavy snow and freezing temperatures to several regions of the United Kingdom in late February and March.
Train operators are advising customers not to travel on Friday, as blanket speed limitations are scheduled to be implemented on the country’s principal train routes.
“We will do everything we can to keep as many services as possible running safely and reliably on Friday,” Network Rail’s Jake Kelly said, “but with such strong winds expected, we know that disruption to passengers’ journeys is unavoidable.”
Great Western Railway announced plans to reduce half of its services on Friday. The mainline in south Wales will be decommissioned, with trains terminating at Bristol Parkway, as will certain branch routes in Devon and Cornwall.
Customers who purchased tickets for travel on Friday will be allowed to travel on Thursday through Monday or receive a refund, according to the airline.
Network Rail said the delays would most likely last into the weekend while tracks were cleaned of debris and fallen trees.