Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) moved its north of Scotland network area to Weather Warning status on 21 January 2025, ahead of storm-force winds forecast for Friday and Saturday that the Met Office named Storm Éowyn1. The distribution operator said the move reflected its increased level of preparedness and its assessment of the weather's potential impact over the weekend1.
The Met Office described the period as the "strongest of the winter so far" and issued Yellow Weather Warnings for wind for Friday and Saturday1. SSEN's own forecast put gusts from the south west at 60 to 70mph on the west coast of mainland Scotland and the islands, and 50 to 60mph inland, with gusts in excess of 80mph possible in exposed areas1.
"We're moving to Weather Warning status in the north of Scotland ahead of a period of storm-force winds on Friday and Saturday"
The picture changed over the following two days. On 22 January, SSEN said both its network areas had moved to higher alert levels, with the north of Scotland at Yellow Alert status and central southern England at Weather Warning status2. It forecast gusts of up to 90mph in exposed parts of the north, with 65mph winds widespread, and said Orkney and Shetland were likely to see high winds into Saturday2. For central southern England it forecast 50mph gusts widely on Friday morning and peak speeds of 65mph in exposed places, with the worst of the winds moving away by noon on Friday2.
On 23 January, SSEN moved the north of Scotland to Red Alert status, saying disruption to the electricity network was expected3. It said the Met Office Red wind warning covered parts of its north of Scotland network including Arran, Kintyre and Islay, with the rest of Scotland under an amber warning3. In the Red Warning area it forecast 80 to 90mph gusts inland and 100mph gusts possible on exposed western coasts, with peak winds from late morning to early afternoon; across the rest of Scotland it forecast 60 to 70mph widely, 70 to 80mph in some places and 80 to 90mph possible on exposed coasts and hills3.
| Date | North of Scotland status | Central southern England status |
|---|---|---|
| 21 January | Weather Warning1 | Not reported1 |
| 22 January | Yellow Alert2 | Weather Warning2 |
| 23 January | Red Alert3 | Weather Warning3 |
SSEN said it was bringing in additional teams and contractors, taking its response team to around 10 times usual levels, with extra control room operators, engineers, contact centre staff and tree cutting teams3. It said text messages had been sent to almost 170,000 of its more vulnerable customers in the north of Scotland, with telephone calls to the most vulnerable in the areas expected to be worst hit3.
Why it matters for households
A network alert level is a statement about the risk to the wires and substations that carry electricity to a home, not a guarantee that supply will fail. SSEN's own wording moved from possible damage in exposed places2 to disruption being expected3, and it said repairs could take time given travel and working conditions3. For a household, that is the difference between a short interruption and a longer one, and it is the point at which a home's dependence on the grid becomes visible: lighting, heating controls, broadband, phone charging and any medical equipment that runs on mains power all rest on the same supply. SSEN's Priority Services Register is open to households that are deaf or hard of hearing, have a disability, live with children under five, are blind or partially sighted, have a chronic illness, use medical equipment reliant on electricity, or are over 60, and SSEN states that all its priority services are free1. The same pages set out how national supply arrangements work when weather takes out parts of the network.
What happens next
SSEN said it would continue to monitor the forecast closely and issue further updates depending on it1. Winds were forecast to arrive from the west in the early hours of Friday morning, with the strongest winds moving north across the rest of Scotland during Friday afternoon and evening3. SSEN asked customers to report faults or damage by calling 105, or through its Power Track map or app3.