Schools, rail services, sporting fixtures and hospitals are all set to be affected on Friday when Storm Eowyn slams into the UK.
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.”
Schools, colleges and universities
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• 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
• All ScotRail services will be suspended on Friday
• The West Coast Main Line north of Preston and the East Coast Main Line north of Newcastle will also be shut throughout the day, affecting Anglo-Scots services
• Network Rail says “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
• 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
• Edinburgh Airport has said operations “will be limited” during Friday’s red weather warning, which is in place from 10am until 5pm. A spokesperson added: “Airlines will make decisions on the operations of their own flights”
• Glasgow Airport has warned passengers to “check the status of their flight with their airline before travelling” on Friday and Saturday
• Belfast International Airport issued similar advice and said it was “anticipating that the weather alert issued will result in flights being impacted”
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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
• 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
• Glasgow Life, which runs libraries, museums and cultural venues in the Scottish city, said all its sites would be closed on Friday
• Some children’s playgrounds in London parks, including Hyde Park, will be closed on Friday as a precaution
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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
