Parts of Ireland, Scotland, and the U.K. Hit With Severe Storms Producing Hurricane-Force Winds
The storm has caused fatalities.

Published Jan. 27 2025, 1:33 p.m. ET

Parts of Ireland, Scotland, and the U.K. were hit with record-force winds when Storm Éowyn made landfall on Jan. 24, 2025. The storm brought 90mph winds and torrential downpours, leaving hundreds of thousands of residents in the dark.
As of Jan. 26, the storm has sadly also claimed at least two lives, per the Guardian, prompting officials to send messages to stay indoors as they waited for the brunt of the storm to pass the same day it made landfall.
Éowyn is said to have pummeled the area with the highest wind gusts seen in more than two decades, prompting widespread closures.
Keep reading to learn more about the historic storm, including how long experts believe it will take for the rest of the storm to completely move out of parts of Ireland, Scotland, and the U.K.

A massive storm hits Ireland and parts of the U.K. with devastating winds and rain.
The end of January brought significant weather event to areas of Ireland. The storm blew in early Friday morning, taking down power lines and killing at least one man, according to the BBC.
Areas of Northern Irelands seem to have been hit particularly badly, prompting the Republic of Ireland to issue a rare "red warning" — which alerts residents to incoming severe or life-threatening weather and requests that they take shelter and avoid the area — to help keep others safe.
As of 1:28 p.m. EST on Jan. 27, 2025, the storm has left thousands without power for four days, with at least 5,000 properties waiting for their electricity to be reconnected, per the BBC. Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) told the outlet they were working on restoring power to an additional 1,900 homes requiring "complex repairs." However, most schools are anticipated to reopen save for about 20 needing repairs.
The strongest gusts were believed to blow in Northern Ireland at Killowen, clocking in at an impressive 92.2mph.
The BBC reports that hurricane-force winds caused over 250,000 homes to be without power in Scotland. Engineers are working diligently to get power restored to those in need.
What's the worst storm in Ireland's history?
While Éowyn sounds like a storm to remember, it doesn't come close to The Big Wind of 1839, which has been named Ireland's worst storm.
The January 1839 weather event brought strong winds and storms. The resulting destruction caused buildings to collapse, fires to start, an estimated 200 people to be killed, and 43 seafaring vessels to be shipwrecked, according to the Armagh blog.
It's believed that this notable storm became so powerful because of combined air masses that included frigid temperatures from Greenland and warmer air from the Azores.
That horrific storm wasn't all bad, according to historians, and it prompted the community to come together in an inspiring way, with everyone lending a hand to help provide shelter, share resources, and rebuild everything that had been lost during the night of The Big Wind.