Storm Eowyn: causes of 100mph winds hitting UK ...The Standard podcast

Mark Blunden and Rachelle Abbott

January 24, 2025 at 12:39 p.m.·1 min read

Storm Eowyn has wreaked travel havoc and forced schools to shut (Oliver McVeigh) (PA Wire)

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Storm Eowyn smashed into the British Isles bringing record gusts of up to 100mph with millions of Britons urged not to travel and northern regions issued a rare ‘red’ risk-to-life warning.

Tree toppled, causing road closures and more than 1,000 flights were cancelled at airports across the UK, with rail operators halting services and hundreds of schools closed in Northern Ireland, Scotland and northern England.

The Standard podcast hears about the super-storm’s causes from Met Office meteorologist Alex Deakin.

In part two, The London Standard’s political editor Nicholas Cecil discusses his exclusive report revealing how transport secretary Heidi Alexander opposed a third runway at Heathrow in 2020 during her tenure as Sir Sadiq Khan’s deputy mayor for transport.

It comes amid suggestions Heathrow expansion is back on the table as chancellor Rachel Reeves hunts for economic growth, likely setting her up for a clash with cabinet colleagues - and potentially Sir Sadiq over environmental concerns.

We’re also joined by Paul Beckford, policy director at Hacan - the Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise - which represents communities living under the airport’s flight paths to discuss air quality, noise and financial impact.

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