Storm Eunice struck the south of England on 18 February 2022, and the electricity distribution network operator Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has described it as the worst storm to hit its central southern operating area in over 30 years1. SSEN published its account of the event on 4 March 20221.
SSEN is the electricity Distribution Network Operator responsible for delivering power to over 3.8 million homes and businesses across central southern England and the north of Scotland1. The operator said conditions for its teams were made worse because Eunice fell between two other named storms.
"Eunice was sandwiched between Storms Dudley and Franklin: the first time that three named storms affected the UK within the space of a week, since the introduction of the storm naming system."
SSEN said it enacts "well-established resilience plans" ahead of extreme weather events, and thanked customers for their patience while teams worked to restore power across the region1. The account does not give figures for the number of properties left without power, the length of outages or the damage caused, and these have not been reported in the material published by the operator.
| Detail | What SSEN reported |
|---|---|
| Date of the storm | 18 February 20221 |
| Area | South of England, within SSEN's central southern operating area1 |
| Severity | Worst storm in that area in over 30 years1 |
| Context | Third named storm in a week, after Dudley and Franklin1 |
| Network size | Over 3.8 million homes and businesses across central southern England and the north of Scotland1 |
Why it matters for households
The households affected are SSEN customers in central southern England, whose power supply is carried by the network the operator describes as serving over 3.8 million homes and businesses across that area and the north of Scotland1. For those households, a storm of this severity is a power supply risk as well as a wind and structural one, and the operator's account confirms that restoring power across the region was the focus of its response1. SSEN states that it puts resilience plans in place before extreme weather events1. The account gives no dates for when supplies were restored in specific areas, and no details of any support offered to households during the outage have been reported.
The sequence of three named storms within a week is relevant to households preparing for winter weather, because it shows that disruption can recur before an earlier event has been dealt with1. SSEN's account does not include guidance to households on preparing for outages, and no such advice is reported here.
What happens next
No further steps have been announced in the operator's account. SSEN says only that its teams worked to restore power quickly and safely across the region, and thanks customers for their patience1. Households wanting general information on storm preparation can read the guide to storms and snow, and for ways to receive official warnings, the guide to staying informed.
Sources (1)
- Looking back at Storm Eunice - SSEN, ssen.co.uk
