Thousands without power as 93mph winds hit Wales
BBCThousands of people are without power and 50 schools will remain closed on Friday as Storm Éowyn brings severe gales.
Several weather warnings have been issued by the Met Office, including an amber warning for strong winds.
Gusts of up to 93mph (150km/h) have caused multiple power cuts in north and mid Wales while more than 2,200 people are without power in south and west Wales.
Damage to homes and buildings and flooding is likely, according to forecasters.
Travel disruption is also expected on rail, road and ferry services, with ferry sailings cancelled into Friday afternoon and rail operators warning customers to anticipate cancellations and delays.
A yellow warning for heavy rain is also in place across most of Wales for Friday morning.
SP Energy Networks is reporting 5,000 customers on its our ManWeb region, which includes the area around Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor, Bethesda, Tregarth, Llanbedr, Blaenau Ffestiniog and Menai Bridge on Anglesey, are without power.
"Conditions are horrendous, with record wind speeds and road closures," said a spokesperson.
"Our teams will be assessing the damage and progressing repairs as soon as it's safe to get people to fault locations."
Further south, the energy supply company National Grid is reporting 29 different incidents with the worst affected areas at present at Three Cocks in Powys and Pontyates in Carmarthenshire.
Some schools in Gwynedd, Flintshire, Conwy and 33 on Anglesey will remain closed on Friday due to harsh weather conditions.
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has several flood alerts in force across Wales, including Cardiff, Swansea, Conwy and Gwynedd, following heavy rain overnight.
NRW has also closed four forests and reserves on Friday due to the risk of falling trees.
Travel disruption
The M48 Severn Bridge is closed due to strong winds while Dyfed Powys Police says road conditions in its region are "extremely poor" due to multiple fallen trees.
The A477 Cleddau Bridge between Pembroke Dock and Neyland is closed to high-sided vehicles.
Gwent Police says officers are dealing with surface flooding on the B4598 Raglan road towards Abergavenny.
In north Wales, there are speed restrictions on the Britannia Bridge over the Menai Strait.
All ferry sailings between Holyhead and Dublin and Fishguard and Rosslare are currently cancelled.
Transport for Wales and Network Rail have urged customers to check before they travel on Friday and into the weekend with delays and cancellations expected.
They said trains would not run on some lines and speed restrictions would be implemented on some locations to minimise potential disruption.
Rail operators Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, and Grand Central have also warned customers not to travel on routes across parts of north Wales.
Cardiff Airport urged passengers to check for any disruption before they travelled and contact their airline or tour company for updates.
On Friday morning, flights to and from Belfast City had been cancelled.
Ani-Caul/BBC Weather WatchersWhat are the weather warnings?
An amber warning for strong winds is in place from 06:00 GMT on Friday until 21:00 and covers Anglesey, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Gwynedd.
A further yellow wind warning for the rest of Wales is in place all day, though a warning for heavy rain has now ended.
The rain warning covers Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Gwynedd, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea, Torfaen and Vale of Glamorgan.
Storm Éowyn is the fifth named storm of the 2024-25 season, which began in October.
What wind speeds have been recorded?
Gusts of 93mph (150km/h) have been recorded on the Llyn Peninsula, Gwynedd on Friday.
- 93mph - Aberdaron
- 87mph - Capel Curig
- 86mph - Lake Vyrnwy
- 75mph - Mona
- 75mph - Milford Haven
- 74mph - Valley
- 71mph - Pembrey Sands
The strongest gusts ever recorded in Wales was 124mph (200kph) at Rhoose, Vale of Glamorgan, on 28 October, 1989.