UK weather: Storm Herminia brings heavy rain and 80mph winds after 'strongest' storm in decade
With trees and buildings already damaged by Storm Eowyn, there is greater risk than normal from Storm Herminia, with weather warnings in place into next week.
Sunday 26 January 2025 14:29, UK
Fresh weather warnings for wind and rain have been issued and gusts of up to 80mph recorded as Storm Herminia hits the UK.
The new weather front arrived in the South West on Sunday morning and will move northwards across England and Wales, the Met Office said.
An 82mph gust was recorded in Predannack, south Cornwall.
Storm Eowyn was "probably the strongest" to hit the UK in at least a decade, according to the forecaster - and in some areas was the most intense in "20 or 30 years".
Follow weather latest - Teenager dies after tree falls on car
Following the damage caused by Storm Eowyn, there is greater risk than normal from Storm Herminia.
"The Spanish-named Storm Herminia will bring heavy rain, gales and hill snow up from the South West on Sunday and on Monday," Sky News meteorologist Dr Chris England warned.
"It won't be as windy as Friday, but with trees and structures already damaged in places, there's a greater risk than normal with a storm of this intensity," he said.
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Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said: "It's also going to be wet and windy over the next few days in southern parts of the UK in particular.
"Certainly tonight in the south east of the UK, we could see some briefly very strong winds, and we could also see some very strong winds across Cornwall and Devon tomorrow in particular".
Coastal parts will "very likely" see 60mph to 70mph gusts, while winds are forecast to reach 70mph to 80mph in the South East during Sunday night.
Weather warnings
The Met Office now has several yellow warnings for wind and rain in place from Sunday to Tuesday.
In Northern Ireland, a wind warning is in place until 7pm on Sunday.
A wind warning for wind is in place until 5pm today that covers most of South West England and Wales, as well as parts of the North West like Blackpool and Merseyside.
Wales is also covered by a rain warning until midnight tomorrow, with people told to expect "heavy" downpours that could lead to flooding.
Another rain warning is in place across England, taking in the East Midlands, North West, South West, West Midlands, East of England and Yorkshire.
That warning is in place from 8am this morning and lasts until 6am tomorrow.
The final yellow warning for wind comes into force from 10pm this evening and lasts until 7am tomorrow.
Monday into Tuesday
For the start of the week, yellow warnings for wind lasting from 6am on Monday to 6am on Tuesday have been issued covering the East of England, London and the South East, the South West as well as much of Wales.
Gusts of 60 or 70mph are possible near the coast, with potential gusts of 50mph inland, said the Met Office.
Some coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities will probably be affected by spray or large waves.
The agency added that some disruption to transport and short-term power outages were likely.
There are also yellow warnings for heavy rain from 8am on Monday until 6am on Tuesday that could bring "some disruption and flooding" in Wales, parts of the West Midlands, the East Midlands, East of England, London and the South East, the South West, the North West and North East.
Bus and rail services will likely be affected and spray and flooding on roads will probably increase journey times, the Met Office said.
Flooding of "a few homes and businesses" is likely, as is "some interruption to power supplies and other services".
Heavy rain means 20mm-40mm will probably fall "fairly widely" while higher ground could see 50-70mm.
Teenager dies after tree fell on his car
A 19-year-old man has died after his car was struck by a falling tree in Mauchline, East Ayrshire, on Friday.
The incident happened prior to a red weather warning coming into force in Scotland due to the approaching Storm Eowyn.
The teenager was taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow for treatment but died on Saturday.
It is the second death related to the storm after 20-year-old Kacper Dudek died in County Donegal, Ireland, on Friday morning when a tree fell on his car.
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A Cobra meeting was held on Saturday to discuss Storm Eowyn and the government will "stand ready to provide further support", a spokesperson said.
Engineers have been dispatched to Northern Ireland and Scotland, they said.
Scotland's First Minister John Swinney appealed for "patience" as work is carried out to restore power supplies and transport services in the storm's aftermath.
Among the buildings affected was a Co-op store in Scotland which collapsed on Friday after Storm Eowyn passed through Denny, Falkirk.
Hundreds of thousands of homes without power
Storm Eowyn left more than a million people in the UK without power, and there was significant travel disruption across the UK and Ireland.
At about 8am on Sunday, NIE Networks said 101,000 of its customers in Northern Ireland do not have power, and it had been restored to 183,000.
More than 14,000 SP Energy Networks customers in central and southern Scotland were off-grid. It said more than 165,000 users had been reconnected.
Unsettled spell to continue next week
The Met Office said yet another low-pressure front will pick up on Wednesday and again arrive in the southwest.
Mr Vautrey said: "South-western areas certainly bearing the brunt this time in terms of the most unsettled conditions.
"The first half of next week, still pretty unsettled."