A number of network operators, such as Openreach (BT), have put out notifications to warn partners and customers about the expected impact of Storm Éowyn tomorrow morning. The named storm is expected to be particularly vicious when it strikes Ireland, which is why it’s generating some headlines online, although its impact upon the UK will still be nasty.
The storm itself is the result of explosive cyclogenesis (aka – a weather bomb), which reflects a low-pressure system whose central pressure falls 24 millibars in 24 hours. Yesterday the Met Office reported that the storm had a central air pressure of 1001hPa, but that this was expected to drop by 62hPa over the following 30 hours (yikes). At the time of writing, the storm’s core is at around 971hPa.
Needless to say, extremely damaging winds (including major gusts), heavy rain, lightning and snow (in some areas) are to be expected. Most of the concern about this being a potentially “historic storm” are coming from Ireland, where it seems likely to be particularly nasty. But Storm Éowyn (pronounced ‘Ay-oh-win’) will still be very nasty for Northern Ireland, as well as northern parts of Wales, England, and a lot of Scotland.
In a brief statement, Openreach said: “We’re closely monitoring the situation and have activated our established storm response processes to minimise potential disruptions. In areas under Amber weather warnings, we may need to defer some tasks until it is safe to proceed. Across all regions, risk assessments will be carried out, prioritising the safety of our engineers.”
Storms like this have a tendency to knock down trees and cause flooding, which can impact broadband street cabinets and telecoms poles, among other things. In the aftermath, we’re likely to see Openreach place some areas under their Matters Beyond Our Reasonable Control (MBORC) designation, which could mean delays to new service provisions as repairs take priority. Other network operators in the worst hit areas may have similar challenges.
