The after effects of Storm Eowyn are still being felt after it battered the county on Friday.
Thousands of people are still without power and the storm impacted rubbish collections, roads, public transport and schools, plus much more.
Buildings were damaged across the county – including a major incident at the Sands Centre in Carlisle.
Here is a round-up of what we know and where we are at in the aftermath of Storm Eowyn on Sunday, January 26.
And here’s what we reported on Friday
Weather warning
A yellow weather warning for wind is in place for part of the county from 8am to 3pm today, Sunday January 26.
A further period of strong south to south easterly winds accompanied by some heavy rain is expected to move into the south west on Sunday morning, then spread to other southern and western areas through the day. Winds are likely to gust 50mph to 60mph quite widely, and around some exposed coasts and hills gusts to 70mph are possible.
Power cuts
Electricity North West said the damage to its network was greater than initially thought.
It said overnight, Cumbria’s power network experienced further damage, particularly between the hours of 9pm to 1am where many customers reported sightings of flashes on the overhead network.
It said weather conditions hit the coastal areas below Cumbria and the west coast of Cumbria around Workington and Seascale area.
Stephanie Trubshaw, Electricity North West’s incident manager, said: “The damage to the network we have seen is at the levels of Storm Arwen.
“We’ve seen mass devastation, largely across Cumbria as trees and high winds have brought down overhead lines and snapped wood poles.
“The power network has experienced further damage overnight with trees and debris colliding with overhead lines and wooden poles. “
The network operator has restored power to close to 93,000 properties across its region with more than 200 separate damages recorded.
Its staff will be out knocking on doors of people who remain without power today.
Electricity North West has set the majority of restoration times to 8pm today, Sunday January 26 – and a few for 8pm tomorrow, Monday January 27. It says they are worst-case scenario time and it is hoped much of the power will be restored before then.
Due to its severity, Storm Eowyn will be classed as Category 2, meaning that customers will be eligible for compensation payments of £85 if power has been cut off for 48 hours, and an extra £40 for every six hours afterwards.
Once all properties have been restored, Electricity North West will contact customers entitled to compensation payments, it said.
Our list of power cuts is here – we will update throughout the day.
Roads
Dozens of roads were closed or impacted by falling trees during Storm Eowyn.
Cumbria police warned that driving conditions may continue to be hazardous as the clean-up continued and warned people to be careful on the roads, particularly on blind bends.
The A66 was closed from midnight on Thursday and reopened in the early hours of yesterday.
The impact of the Sands Centre roof in Carlisle resulted in roads being closed around the area to pedestrians and cyclists – Eden Bridge opened on Friday night. Newmarket Road and Duke’s Road were due to reopen yesterday morning, Saturday January 25.
Cumberland Council said its highways teams are continuing to work over the weekend to clear debris from the roads. The authority has not released an updated list of roads affected by the storm.
Portland Walk in Barrow had to be closed after the storm damaged glass canopies, which began to shatter. The area was closed by Cumbria police and Westmorland & Furness Council teams moved in to make the area safe.
Westmorland & Furness Council’s highways team responded to almost 70 emergency reports of fallen trees, damaged buildings and damaged lamp posts. By noon yesterday, Cumberland Council was dealing with around 80 road incidents reported to its highways team.
Cumbria Local Resilience Forum, a multi-agency group that responds to major incidents in the county, said: “Work and clean-up will continue into the night and over the weekend. We ask everyone to take extra care on the roads and observe any road closure signs for their own safety.”
The last update issued by Westmorland & Furness Council was at 9.30am yesterday, Saturday January 25. It said:
Roads closed in Westmorland & Furness
- C1037 near Brackenburgh – trees down
- C3054 Hardendale/Reagill area – trees down
- C3007 between Lazonby and Thiefside – fallen trees impacting electricity pylon
- West of Grizebeck Bridge, Glenridding closed by Cumbria police – over hanging tree
- Askew Gate Brow, Kirkby-In-Furness – fallen trees
- The Riddings, Threlkeld – fallen tree
- Townhead, Penrith – fallen tree
- Junction of Kilgour Street and Southend Road, Penrith – Cumbria police requested urgent closure due to unsecure tiles
- Portland Walk, Barrow – overhead glass canopies shattering due to winds causing significant danger, building control required to asses
- High Street, Barrow between Slater Junction and Wallace Street – gable end partially collapsed
- Matsen Ground side of Lickbarrow – fallen tree held up by wall, risk of it falling further
Roads impacted yet passible with care:
- A593 Skelwith Bridge – tree blocking half the carriageway
- Newton Rd, Penrith – traffic signals blown over and cones across the road
- Thorny Hills, Kendal – branch blocking the pavement
Westmorland & Furness’ highways teams reopened 64 roads.
Cumberland Council has yet to release an updated list of road closures today.
Other
Windermere Ferry is running.
West Walls car park, Carlisle
West Walls car park in Carlisle has partially reopened to the public. It was closed on Friday due to storm debris. Teams have managed to clear parts of the car park and will continue to remove the remaining debris so that the whole car park can reopen later today. Cumberland Council ask for safety, people keep to the areas that have been opened.
Waste collections
Cumberland and Westmorland & Furness councils have issued updates about waste and recycling collections in the aftermath of Storm Eowyn.
Cumberland Council suspended its collections on Friday January 24, while Westmorland & Furness Council was not able to complete its rounds.
For an update about your area’s collections, see here.
Trains
Network Rail said there are power outages along the Cumbrian Coast line.
Road transport has been provided for the following train times from Barrow. See our story here.
Journey times will be extended by up to two hours whilst travelling by Rail Replacement transport.
A major recovery operation is underway on the railway’s West Coast Main Line following Storm Eowyn.
Gusts in Cumbria reached 83mph and Network Rail said the storm brought over 60 incidents of flying debris, collapsed walls and even a roof which affected the West Coast Mainline.
Avanti West Coast is not running trains north of Carlisle today, Sunday while Network Rail repair damage to the overhead wires in Scotland. People are asked not to travel on the West Coast Main Line. Anyone due to travel north of Preston on Friday, Saturday 25 or today can use their existing ticket on any Avanti West Coast service via the same route until the end of service on Tuesday January 28.
TransPennine Express was urging people not to travel. There will be no trains running north of Carlisle.
Sands Centre, Carlisle
Cumberland Council said it would remain closed to allow work to be safely carried out on the canopy which was damaged on Friday, January 24.
The centre, its car park and Swifts car park have been closed this weekend as a result.
The temporary canopy had been installed as part of the RAAC replacement of the Sands’ auditorium roof.
The Sands Centre and Swifts car parks will both remain closed.
The closure also affects any NHS services that are provided at the centre. Patients will be contacted by the NHS direct.
Carlisle cemeteries
Carlisle cemeteries were closed on Friday and will reopen today. People are asked not to go into cordoned-off areas.
Carlisle Cathedral
Public services have been cancelled at Carlisle Cathedral this weekend as the precinct has become unsafe.
There is strictly no access to the cathedral precinct via any of the three entrances. The cathedral said instead of public services, clergy will say prayers.
Forests
People are urged not to visit Cumbria’s forests this weekend as rangers assess the damage caused by Storm Eowyn.
Forestry England, which is responsible for Ennerdale, Cogra Moss, Whinlatter, Grizedale, Blengdale Forest, Hardknott, Whitbarrow, Eggerslack Woods, Dalton Crags Forest, Dodd Wood, Setmurthy, and High Stand and Coombs Wood, asked people not to visit them today due to the high risk of falling trees.
Wild Ennerdale said: “Thank you to everyone who has followed the official advice and our ask to postpone their visit to Ennerdale today as Storm Éowyn brings high winds across the country.
“While the impact of the weather is yet to be fully assessed we are asking visitors to postpone travelling to Ennerdale and other Forestry England sites in Cumbria this weekend to allow our rangers to safely inspect and make our trails safe.
“We will update as soon as we are able with more information.
“Forests and woodlands can be dangerous places to be during a storm and even once it has passed fallen trees and branches may still present a danger. Consider your safety before visiting.”
The Keswick to Threlkeld Trail is also not accessible.
Storm Eowyn in pictures
