Storm Eunice aftermath: North East recovers from impact of high winds
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The weather system brought strong gusts across the region, with snow on higher ground, as Met Office forecasters issued a Yellow warning for the North East.
While the alert has now ended, more windy weather was forecast across the weekend.
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Hide AdStorm Eunice brought damage to buildings, as well as disruption to road, rail, air and ferry services.
The clean-up operation continued in some parts of the region on Saturday, February 19. See how the day unfolded with a recap of our updates.
Storm Eunice aftermath: Region recovers from impact of high winds
Key Events
- Clean-up continues after damage and destruction from Storm Eunice on Friday, and Storm Dudley earlier this week
- Windy weather expected throughout the weekend - but no Met Office weather alerts for North East
- What the forecast says for the half-term break across the region
👀 Looking at the week-ahead weather forecast from the Met Office
Here’s what the Met Office forecast says for the coming days, as families across the region look forward to a half-term break.
Sunday:
Remaining windy, with gales at times. Persistent rain for many through the morning, then brighter with blustery showers turning increasingly wintry. Starting mild, but turning colder through the day. Maximum temperature 11 °C.
Outlook for Monday to Wednesday:
Often windy, with gales at times. Wintry showers at first Monday, these easing with sunny spells developing. Mixture of rain and wintry showers with some sunny spells Tuesday and Wednesday.
What does the forecast have in store today?
Here’s what the Met Office has to tell us about Saturday.
Road closure update for Sunderland
Part of Fawcett Street in Sunderland remains closed due to building damage caused by Storm Eunice. Here’s an update issued by Sunderland City Council on Saturday morning.
Destruction
Damage to a tree in Shrewsbury Crescent in Sunderland on Saturday morning.
⚠️ Closure
The cordon in Fawcett Street, Sunderland, on Saturday morning. A reminder that the closure is expected to remain in place until at least Monday, at present.
Our photographer Kevin Brady went along for a look.
❓ Where are there weather warning today ❓
While the North East does not have any warnings today, we can still expect some windy weather! The Met Office maps out how Saturday will look.
A closer look at the closure in Sunderland’s Fawcett Street
Kevin Brady has been out and about taking a closer look at the damage this morning. Here’s what he had to see at Fawcett Street.
❗️ Update from Northern Powergrid on repair work
Northern Powergrid has this morning issued an update on the work its engineers still have to carry out in the wake of Storm Eunice.
The statement said: “Our teams made great progress through the night – our focus is now on reconnecting the remaining 1,500 customers who are still without power.
Today (Saturday) we will restore as many of the remaining supplies as possible. We are confident that with the teams we have in place, if we are not able to get everyone reconnected, only a small proportion will need to be done tomorrow (Sunday).”
“The timing of the storm means that we still have some reconnaissance to do, but we already have a good view of most of the damage and the work required to repair it. It is possible that we will find some more points of damage as we reconnect main sections of our power lines, which is not unusual in the aftermath of a storm.”
💡 Northern Powergrid’s summary
- Over 30,000 customers have been affected by storm force winds of over 70mph
- Our teams made great progress through the night – our focus is now to restore supplies to the remaining final 1,500 customers who are still without power
- The work we need to do is mostly in Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire
- We will be working to restore supplies to all customers today, but a small number may run into Sunday – the weather may yet be a factor in some cases and some of the work is still unknown
- We will continue to take the same approach to communicating estimates of restoration times, which worked well – but the majority of our estimates will be based on site-specific assessments
- We are working with our partners to support the communities affected
Are you travelling by train today?
Your journey may be affected in the aftermath of Storm Eunice. National Rail has this advice for you.
Updated Met Office warnings
Met Office forecasters have updated previously-issued Yellow warnings for wind, which will take effect on Sunday and Monday. The North East could be in line to escape the worst, according to the current forecast shown here.
More damage in Sunderland from Storm Eunice
The Ford Lodge apartments in South Hylton have been damaged as a result of yesterday’s high winds. Emergency services were pictured at the scene, alongside debris on the ground. Many thanks to Simon Walker for sending in the photograph.
Lancaster Road, Hartlepool
The week’s high winds caused damage across the region, with this fallen tree pictured by our photographer Frank Reid in Lancaster Road, Hartlepool. While the weather is expected to be blustery in the coming days, the North East is not yet subject to any further warnings from the Met Office.
Friday recap: Feeling the chill across South Tyneside on Friday
Our photographers were out and about on weather watch this week, with Stu Norton capturing this collection of pictures from South Tyneside on Friday.
🌟 Event given go-ahead for tonight
Did you have plans to attend North of the Tyne, Under the Stars this evening? Well, we have some good news! It’s been confirmed that this evening’s sessions in Blyth and North Shields are going ahead.
🗣 Update on Storm Eunice clean-up
Sunderland City Council has issued an update on its ongoing clean-up operation following Storm Eunice on Friday.
Council Leader, Cllr Graeme Miller said: “We’ve had council teams on standby throughout both storms ready to support communities and deal with any storm damage. They’ve done a brilliant job responding to calls about dangerous buildings and fallen trees in some pretty challenging weather conditions to keep our communities safe and I can’t thank them enough.”
The northern section of Fawcett Street is expected to remain closed until Monday at least, while a separate closure of the eastbound lane of the A183 Chester Road at the end of Croft Avenue also remains in place.
The council statement added: “The city council understands the strategic importance of both these busy routes within the city’s road network and is working to ensure they are reopened as soon as it is safe to do so.”