Storm Eunice red weather warning: What is it and which areas are affected?

Britons are being warned to brace themselves for one of the strongest storms in 30 years, as Storm Eunice sweeps across the UK.

The Met Office issued a rare red weather warning along the coastline of Devon and Cornwall for Friday as well as the south coast of Wales, due to extremely strong winds.

People in areas with weather warnings are being told to stay indoors where they can, with experts warning Eunice poses a "significant danger to life".

What is a red weather warning?

A red weather warning is the highest warning the Met Office issues for adverse weather conditions.

Forecasters have said Storm Eunice could be the strongest storm in three decades, with 100mph winds expected to batter the west coast.

From 7am on Friday, a red warning among much of the south will be in place.

The Met Office has said it is highly likely there will be disruptions to power lines and travel across Friday.

Red weather warnings also state that Brits in wind-affected areas can expect 'flying debris', 'damage to buildings and homes', 'uprooted trees', 'power cuts' and 'beach materials being thrown onto coastal roads'.

Threats include roads, bridges and railway lines being closed with delays and cancellations to public transport, ferry services and flights, and large waves plus “beach material” being thrown on to coastal roads, seafronts and homes, which could result in flooding for some coastal properties.

Uprooted trees are likely, while people could also have power cuts which might affect their mobile phone coverage, the Met Office said.

All trains in Wales have been cancelled on Friday in light of the warnings.

In Cornwall, residents are being urged to take precautions and only travel if absolutely necessary while people in north Somerset are being encouraged to stay at home.

Red warnings are issued rarely, with the last one in November 2021 ahead of the arrival of Storm Arwen, which saw very strong winds batter areas on the east coast of Scotland and north-east coast of England.

Watch: 'Stay indoors' Met Office alert ahead of 100mph winds

Where will it hit hardest?

The Devon coastline and Cornwall have been issued the strongest red warning - but most of the UK has been placed under less severe alerts.

An amber wind alert has been issued across the Midlands and south of England.

Yellow snow warnings have been issued across much of Scotland and all of Northern Ireland.

What should I do?

If you're in an area with a red warning, the advice is to stay at home.

In North Somerset, councillor Mike Bell, deputy leader of the council, said: “We’re urging people to please stay at home during the worst of the weather.

“Please stay away from coastal paths, piers and promenades, and parks and woodlands.

“Don’t risk your safety or that of the people who would come to your rescue if you got into trouble.

“Our highways team is on standby to help with fallen trees, blocked roads and flooding. We’ll also be closing the floodgates at Weston seafront.”

Watch: Man braves blustery beach walk during Storm Dudley

• If you do need to venture outside, then people are advised not try not to walk or shelter close to buildings and trees.

• In the event any damage is done to property while the storm is ongoing, don't put yourself at risk to mend anything.

• Don't drive if it can be helped.

• If possible, enter and leave your house through doors in the sheltered side, closing them behind you

• Open internal doors only as needed, and close them behind you

• Take care when driving on exposed routes such as bridges, or high open roads, delay your journey or find alternative routes if possible

• Slow down and be aware of side winds, particular care should be taken if you are towing or are a high sided vehicle

What have experts said?

Friday's storm is set to be one of the strongest in the UK for the past 30 years, leading Met Office chief forecaster Frank Saunders issued a dire warning to those venturing outside.

He said: "The red warning area indicates a significant danger to life as extremely strong winds provide the potential for damage to structures and flying debris.

"Although the most exposed coastal areas in the south and west could see gusts in excess of 90mph, winds will remain notably strong further inland, with gusts of between 70-80mph for most within the amber warning area.”

Met Office forecaster Becky Mitchell told The Mirror: “With the wind gusts we are forecasting at the moment, we've only seen a handful of storms in the past 30 years that have brought similar gusts. It's got the potential to be up there as quite a notable storm.

“Winds are likely to be 60 to 70mph inland across the south of the UK. It's quite unusual, we don't see gusts that high over such a wide area in the south. The Burns Day Storm brought similar gusts.”

According to the Met Office, 47 people people were killed during violent winds in January 1990 though dozens more died across Europe.

On Wednesday, they warned Brits not to pose for “storm selfies” if walking along coastal paths.

The Environment Agency has warned of the risk of flooding in southern England on Friday.

Flood duty manager Katharine Smith said: “Strong winds could bring coastal flooding to parts of the west, south-west and south coast of England, as well as the tidal River Severn, through the early hours of Friday morning and into the early afternoon.

“This is due to Storm Eunice resulting in high waves and potential storm surge coinciding with the start of a period of spring tides.”