STORM EUNICE IN SUNDERLAND: Met Office issues weather warning for strong winds and snow in region

A Yellow Weather Warning is place for Sunderland for strong winds, with potential snow also forecast for inland areas including Durham City.

The warning is in place from 7am tomorrow morning (February 18) until 6pm in the evening with the Met Office warning of the potential for “damage to trees and also buildings, such as tiles blown from rooftops“ and that some roads and bridges may close.

Commuters are warned about disruption to travel and those living in coastal areas such as Seaburn and Roker face the possibility that “injuries could occur from large waves and beach material being thrown onto seafronts”.

Heavy rain and sleet is forecast for Sunderland with windspeeds exceeding 50mph by mid-afternoon. In Durham City and other inland areas, heavy snow is forecast to fall between 5am and 8am with winds currently forecast to peak at 54mph at 3pm.

The Met Office are also warning that Eunice could bring power cuts.

Following Storm Dudley, Northern Power Grid, who provide the region’s electricity, reported 20,000 customers including homes close to Durham City were left temporarily without power.

The provider have also confirmed 1,200 customers are still without electricity – a situation they are looking to resolve while preparing for the arrival of Eunice.

Director of Field Operations Andy Bilclough said: “We are continuing to work closely with our local resilience partners and are being guided by them as to where the support is most needed in the communities affected.

“We are also preparing ourselves to deal with Storm Eunice, which is due to hit our operating area on Friday. The indications are that the storm will bring strong winds and snow, so it does present a risk to supplies.

"For that reason, we are very focused on getting the customers affected by Storm Dudley reconnected ahead of that storm coming in.”

After dealing with a fallen tree which resulted in the suspension of Metro services between Hebburn and South Shields on Thursday, Nexus are also bracing themselves for the arrival of Eunice.

Customer Services Director Huw Lewis said: “Storm damage can be so unpredictable and there is a concern that some trees could already have been weakened and we now have Eunice still to come.

"It’s not fully clear how bad the North East will be affected and so customers should keep a look out for travel advice.”

SEE ALSO: 16 photos from Sunderland and South Tyneside as Storm Dudley arrives in the North East

At the end of last month, the Bridges Shopping Centre temporarily closed as Storm Malik unleashed its fury.

With the imminent arrival of Eunice, a spokeswoman for the Bridges said: “The safety of our customers and staff is a priority every day at the Bridges. It is something we are always looking at and will of course take into account any potential adverse conditions.

“We have all the necessary procedures in place and will be monitoring the weather situation on an hourly basis but at the present moment it is very much business as usual.

“If we do have to make any changes to our opening hours, we will alert shoppers via our social media channels.”

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