A look back on Storm Éowyn as Scotland braces for another bout of heavy snow and -8C freeze

It has been one week since Storm Éowyn, one of the UK's most powerful windstorms for over a decade, hit Scotland with gusts of a whopping 100mph.

The storm brought red warnings, severe impacts and, tragically, fatalities. Calum Carmichael, 19, sadly died after his car was struck by a tree on the B743 Ayr Road near Mauchline, East Ayrshire while he was on his way to work.

ScotRail cancelled all its services, with 15 UK stations recording their own respective highest January wind gust. Roads were closed, thousands were without power, ferries and trains were cancelled and sadly lives were lost as impacts were felt for many as part of the multi-hazard event, with strong winds, rain and snow for some.

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“Our thoughts go out to all those who have been affected by Storm Éowyn," Met Office Services Director Simon Brown said.

"It’s clear this system had the potential to be even more destructive, which serves as a poignant reminder of the impacts severe weather can have in the UK, including, sadly, the risk to life.”

The Met Office first flagged the possibility of wet and windy weather a week before the elements set in on January 20. The storm was soon named as intel on its force became clearer, and a rare red warning was issued.

The advance notice of the damaging weather that was on the way helped people, businesses, and responders stay safe. In fact, while formal reviews on Storm Éowyn haven’t yet taken place, there are signs that people took precautions ahead of the dangerous conditions.

Motoring experts RAC reported a significant reduction in breakdown volumes in Scotland when Storm Éowyn did land on Friday, January 24.

"We saw a marked reduction in breakdowns in the areas most affected by Storm Éowyn, which suggests many drivers heeded the warnings and decided not to take to the roads," RAC Senior Policy Officer Rod Dennis said.

"By doing so, drivers were keeping themselves safe, and avoiding any chance of breaking down and needing to call out our patrols in the dangerous conditions.”

So, how did the storm develop? Alongside the influence of a powerful jet stream, the storm underwent a process referred to as "explosive cyclogenesis" - when the pressure of the storm rapidly deepens over a 24-hour period.

The lowest pressure recorded for Storm Éowyn was 941.9hPa on the Isle of Tiree, which was the lowest value since storm naming was introduced in 2015 and the lowest depth of pressure in the UK since December 24, 2013.

As the deep low pressure crossed the Republic of Ireland, satellite imagery on the Friday morning suggested that a sting jet developed close to where a 114mph wind gust was recorded on the West coast of Ireland.

A sting jet is a small area of very intense winds that can sometimes form in powerful weather systems. Relative to the size of the storm, the sting jet is narrow, often 30 miles across, and only lasts three to four hours. The ‘Great Storm’ of 1987 is another example where a sting jet formed and caused major damage within a wider storm system.

The clean-up continues across the country as spots including Dumfries and Galloway and North Lanarkshire hail recovery efforts and ask the public to be patient while debris is cleared away.

There may be more disruption on the way, though, with weather maps predicting a wall of snow to sweep across the UK in mid-February as a -8C Arctic blast strikes.

Conditions are set to become notably more wintry by mid-February. Maps from WXCharts show purple clouds running down from Scotland where the snow is expected to be deepest, around 13 centimetres in central areas.

Temperatures will also plummet, with a low of -6C in western Scotland and sub-zero temperatures across the country. Temperatures of -8C is expected on February 13 and 22cm of snow predicted to fall on February 14.

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