Storm Eowyn, UK and Ireland, 2025
An explosively deepening Atlantic storm broke Ireland's wind record and left more than a million without power across Ireland and Scotland.
- Verified
- United Kingdom
- 24 January 2025
- Edition of 19 August 2026
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Published 23 days ago. The edition date says when this card ran, not how settled its figures are.
Evidence
10 figures, each threaded to its source
Record Irish gust at Mace Head
114mph
2 sources
“a peak recorded wind gust of 114mph at Mace Head”
Year the previous Irish record was set
1945year
2 sources
“just above the previous record high of 182kmh (113mph) set in January 1945 in Foynes, Co Limerick”
Customers without power in the Republic at peak
768,000customers
3 sources
“resulting in 768,000 customers losing supply on 24th January”
Flights cancelled on 24 January
1,100flights
2 sources
“more than 1,100 flights were canceled Friday in the Republic of Ireland and the U.K.”
Gusts forecast as possible in the red warning area
100mph
“There is potential for gusts of 100mph in exposed locations within the Red warning area.”
Gusts recorded in Northern Ireland and Wales
90mph
2 sources
“Wind gusts in excess of 90 mph were recorded in Northern Ireland and parts of Wales early Friday”
Age of the man killed by a falling tree in County Donegal
20years
2 sources
“a 20-year-old man was killed when a tree fell on his car during Storm Éowyn”
Trees blown over or damaged
50 milliontrees
“It estimates a total of 50 million trees were blown over or damaged during the storm”
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Background
Storm Eowyn crossed Ireland and the UK on 24 January 2025 after deepening explosively over the Atlantic, its central pressure falling fast as it rode a powerful winter jet stream. Met Eireann placed the entire country under a red wind warning, and the Met Office issued red warnings for Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland. At Mace Head in County Galway a gust of 114 mph broke a national record that had stood since 1945. Gusts above 90 mph hit Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland. Falling trees blocked roads and railways and brought down power lines across the island of Ireland, leaving 768,000 customers in the Republic of Ireland without electricity at the peak and hundreds of thousands more in Northern Ireland and Scotland. Schools closed, more than a thousand flights were grounded, and repair crews travelled from Britain and continental Europe to help rebuild the network. One man was killed by a falling tree in County Donegal. For Ireland and Northern Ireland it was the most damaging windstorm in decades, and restoring power to some rural areas took more than a week.
Causes
Explosive deepening over the Atlantic
Eowyn formed on a sharp temperature contrast over the Atlantic and deepened extremely fast, its central pressure falling far more in a day than the threshold meteorologists use to define explosive deepening. Rapid deepening packed the isobars close together, and the tighter that pressure gradient became, the stronger the winds spiralling around the centre.
A powerful winter jet stream
A very strong jet stream, sharpened by frigid air over North America clashing with milder Atlantic air, steered the storm quickly towards Ireland and fed energy into it as it grew. Because the storm was moving so fast, it arrived still close to peak intensity, with little time to weaken before landfall.
A track over the north of Ireland
The storm centre passed close to the north coast of Ireland, which placed the strongest winds on its southern flank directly over Ireland, Northern Ireland and southern Scotland. Heavily populated areas took the peak gusts, and long rural power lines running through farmland and forestry stood exactly in the path of falling trees.
Effects
Primary
- A gust of 114 mph at Mace Head set a new Irish wind record.
- 768,000 customers in the Republic of Ireland lost power at the peak, with hundreds of thousands more in Northern Ireland and Scotland.
- Falling trees and flying debris damaged buildings, roads and railway lines.
- A 20 year old man was killed by a falling tree in County Donegal.
Secondary
- Some water treatment plants lost power, cutting supplies to thousands of homes in Ireland.
- Schools across Ireland and Northern Ireland closed and public transport stopped for the day.
- More than 1,100 flights were cancelled, stranding travellers across Europe.
Social
- Rural communities spent up to two weeks without electricity, heating or hot water in midwinter.
- Vulnerable people relied on community centres, generators and neighbours while the network was rebuilt.
- Hospital appointments, sports fixtures and school terms were disrupted across the north of the island.
Economic
- Insurers faced one of the most expensive Irish storms on record.
- Businesses lost trading days during the closures and the long power cuts.
- Electricity operators paid for repair crews from Britain and continental Europe to speed up reconnection.
- Farmers lost sheds, fencing and refrigerated storage during the outages.
Environmental
- Coillte estimated that 50 million trees were blown over or damaged, including large areas of commercial forestry.
- High waves and surge eroded dunes and damaged sea fronts on western coasts.
- Fallen timber and debris took months to clear from woodlands and parks.
Responses
Immediate
- Red warnings were issued in advance, and schools, transport and businesses closed before the storm arrived.
- Emergency crews cleared roads and made damaged buildings safe once the winds dropped.
- Electricity and water utilities began around the clock repairs, prioritising hospitals and water plants.
- Community hubs offered hot food, showers and phone charging to people without power.
Long term
- Repair crews from Britain and continental Europe helped rebuild the electricity network over the following weeks.
- Reviews examined how the grid could be made more resilient, including tree clearance beside power lines.
- The storm strengthened the case for burying key rural lines and for backup generation at water plants.
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