Storm Eowyn: Met Office explains reasons behind first red weather warning in seven years

The red weather warning issued by Ronaldsway Met Office is the first for seven years. A red warning is the most severe that can be issued and represents a danger to life. Issuing a red warning is not something the island’s weather forecasters to often and the last was also for wind on January 2, 2018.

Before that, a red warning was issued for snow in 2013 when snow drifts caused havoc in the west of the island. A red warning was also issued in 2014 for inner harbour flooding at Ramsey. It is not only the strength of the winds that have prompted the red warning as senior meteorological officer Kirsty Pendlebury explains.



‘Red warnings are very rare,’ she said. ‘We only issue them in serious circumstances with extreme weather and a genuine risk to life. ‘We have issued this one partly because of the worst weather coincides with the commute and school run.

Storm Darragh arrived at the weekend and the worst was overnight. ‘Also, there is already structural damage and trees weakened after Storm Darragh.’ People are being urged to avoid the coast and higher ground and to also stay away from the island’s glens and plantations where more trees are expected to fall.

Over the course of Thursday, it is expected there will be services postponed and potentially schools closed. You can find out more about the weather warnings issued by the Met Office and what they mean here . Follow live updates and information on Storm Eowyn on our live blog here.

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