Explosive 'bomb cyclone' descending on UK and Ireland with up to 100 mph winds

The U.K. and Ireland are bracing themselves for wind speeds of up to 100 mph (160 km/h) as an explosive "bomb cyclone" descends on the British Isles.

Storm Éowyn, pronounced "Ay-oh-win" and likely inspired by the "Lord of the Rings" character of the same name, will bring some snow, rain and superfast winds to the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Scotland on Friday (Jan. 24).

The Irish meteorological service, Met Éireann, has issued its most severe red weather warning for all of Ireland, while the U.K.'s Met Office issued a red warning for Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland. These warnings mean that the storm poses a danger to life and will likely bring severe disruptions.

Forecasters expect Storm Éowyn to cross Northern Ireland early Friday morning and then move northeast toward Scotland on Friday afternoon. The storm will also bring severe weather to England and Wales, according to the Met Office.

"Storm Éowyn is a multi-hazard event, with snow likely for some, rain for many and strong winds for much of the UK," the Met Office's chief meteorologist Paul Gundersen said in a statement released on Thursday (Jan. 23). "As a result, a number of weather warnings have been issued, with all parts of the UK covered by one warning at some point on Friday."

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Storm Éowyn's severity is tied to the Arctic outbreak and historic snowstorms that have blasted the U.S. this week. The Arctic air over North America clashed with warmer sub-tropical air below the East Coast, fueling a powerful jet stream coming out of North America towards the U.K., which will intensify the storm, according to the Met Office.

Ambrogio Volonte, a cyclone research scientist at the University of Reading in the U.K., noted in a statement released by the university that Storm Éowyn is explosively developing, which means it is intensifying at an exceptional rate as air pressure at sea level plummets.

"This rapid strengthening happens when a powerful jet stream high in the atmosphere combines with a sharp contrast in temperatures and moisture at the ocean's surface, creating the perfect conditions for the system to grow into a particularly intense and dangerous storm," Volonte said.

Storms with an explosive pressure drop like this one are also called "bomb cyclones" or "weather bombs." The storm could rival deadly and damaging storms such as Storm Eunice, which hit in 2022. Falling trees killed four people in the U.K. and Ireland during Storm Eunice, while more than a million homes lost power for several days, according to the Met Office.

"In fact, Storm Éowyn's structure mirrors some of the most formidable storms of recent decades, and its predicted intensity puts it firmly in the ranks of the strongest we’ve experienced," Volonte added.