Storm Eowyn: All the cancellations and closures

Schools, rail services, sporting fixtures and hospitals are all set to be affected on Friday when Storm Eowyn slams into the UK.

At least 1,070 flights scheduled to operate to or from airports in the UK and Ireland, the equivalent of a fifth of the total, have been cancelled.

A string of public authorities have issued statements warning the public to only travel unless absolutely necessary, while around 4.5 million people in parts of Northern Ireland and Scotland were sent an emergency alert on their mobile phones on Thursday evening.

It was the largest real-life use of the emergency system to date and caused mobile phones to make a loud siren-like sound, even if they were on silent when the alert was issued.

Speaking before it was sent out, a Cabinet Office spokesperson said: "The emergency alert system will send a message to every compatible mobile phone in the areas at most risk, containing information about the weather warnings and guidance on how to stay safe."

Northern Ireland is braced for the strongest winds since 1998, police said, as they declared a major incident and described the storm as an "exceptional weather event".

Power

At least 715,000 homes, farms and businesses have lost power in Ireland, according to Irish Electricity Supply Board (ESB), as there has already been "unprecedented, widespread and extensive damage to electricity infrastructure".

ESB said it would take a "significant number of days" to restore power to all affected customers.

In Northern Ireland, some 93,000 homes and businesses were without electricity.

Schools, colleges and universities

• All schools in Northern Ireland have been advised to close on Friday

• Schools and nurseries across central and southern Scotland have also been urged to shut

• Edinburgh Napier University, Queen's University Belfast and Ulster University are among the sites closing their campuses to students and staff on Friday, with no access to any buildings

Health services

• NHS Lothian has cancelled all routine, non-urgent planned procedures on Friday and postponed the majority of hospital outpatient appointments to protect patients and staff

• NHS Lanarkshire has also postponed all non-urgent appointments in hospital and community settings

Rail services

• National Rail has said a "do not travel message has been issued from multiple train operators" as it advised passengers to check for travel advice before travelling

• It said the storm would affect Avanti West Coast services today

• CrossCountry services would also be affected, with a do not travel warning between York and Newcastle and Edinburgh

• LNER services will be affected until Saturday with a warning to not travel north of York

• Lumo services are warning not to travel north of Newcastle

• All ScotRail services will be suspended on Friday

• Network Rail has said "other lines across northern England, Scotland and northern Wales may also be closed at short notice"

• Train services across Northern Ireland have also been suspended

• Transport for Wales has warned services may be subject to last-minute changes and cancellations on Friday

Roads

• The A66 between the A1M in North Yorkshire and M6 in Cumbria, as well as the A628 Woodhead Pass in Derbyshire and South Yorkshire, were both closed overnight due to strong winds, National Highways said

• The M48 Severn Bridge was closed, while the Tamar Bridge on the A38 between Devon and Cornwall was closed to high-sided vehicles until 5am

• Avon and Somerset reported a number of local roads had been blocked due to fallen trees, advising motorists to "take care when travelling"

• Police Scotland has urged drivers not to travel

• RAC Breakdown has also advised motorists in areas covered by red weather warnings not to drive "unless absolutely essential"

• Bus services in Northern Ireland will be suspended on Friday

Airports

At least 1,070 flights scheduled to operate to or from airports in the UK and Ireland have been cancelled.

Aviation analytics company Cirium said this is equal to 20% of all flights being called off on Friday due to Storm Eowyn.

The worst affected airports in terms of the number of cancellations are: Dublin (119 departures, 109 arrivals), Edinburgh (81 departures, 77 arrivals), Heathrow (50 departures, 58 arrivals), Glasgow (43 departures, 42 arrivals).

• At least 334 flights have been cancelled across airports in Scotland and Northern Ireland, including Aberdeen, Belfast, Edinburgh and Glasgow, analysis of flight tracking website FlightRadar24 shows. The cancellations affect about 50,000 passengers

• Multiple flights departing from London Heathrow Airport, Newcastle Airport and Liverpool Airport have been cancelled

• Some flights from Manchester Airport have also been cancelled, as well as to and from Dublin Airport

Ferries

• All CalMac ferry services scheduled for Friday have been cancelled

• Northlink Ferries, serving the Northern Isles, has also amended its services for Friday and is keeping its sailings for Saturday under review, with "a high probability of cancellation" for morning services

Public services, spaces and other sites

• Edinburgh Council said all non-essential services in the region, including parks, museums and galleries, would be closed or suspended on Friday. All council buildings will also shut

• Glasgow Life, which runs libraries, museums and cultural venues in the Scottish city, said all its sites would be closed on Friday

• The V&A Dundee will be closed throughout Friday. It plans to reopen on Saturday

• All Scottish courts within or near to the red warning zone will be closed

• The Scottish Parliament will be closed all day on Friday

• Some children's playgrounds in London parks, including Hyde Park, will be closed on Friday as a precaution

Sport fixtures

• The Scottish Women's Premier League match between Celtic and Hearts, scheduled for 7.30pm on Friday, has been postponed

• Sheffield United's home game against fellow Championship side Hull City at 8pm on Friday is still scheduled to go ahead

(c) Sky News 2025: Storm Eowyn: All the cancellations and closures