Storm Éowyn alert reached 4.5 million people in Scotland and Northern Ireland

An Emergency Alert warning of life-threatening conditions was sent to approximately 4.5 million people in Scotland and Northern Ireland during Storm Éowyn in January 2025, according to the Cabinet Office¹. Lancashire Resilience Forum describes it as the largest ever use of the system, sent after a rare red weather warning, meaning there was a risk to life, was issued².

The figure was set out in a Cabinet Office press release of 7 August 2025, which looked ahead to the second national test of the Emergency Alerts system at around 3pm on Sunday 7 September 2025¹. The same release says five alerts have been sent since the first national test in April 2023, including during major storms when lives were at risk¹. Lancashire Resilience Forum gives the same count of five real alerts since April 2023².

The Cabinet Office release also records that in Plymouth the system helped evacuate 10,000 residents in just hours after an unexploded Second World War bomb was discovered¹. Lancashire Resilience Forum refers to the same kind of use, when an unexploded Second World War bomb was due to be moved by the military².

For the September test, the Cabinet Office says mobile phones on 4G and 5G networks across the country will vibrate and emit a loud siren-like sound for up to ten seconds, with a test message appearing on screens making clear the alert is a drill¹. Lancashire Resilience Forum puts the number of devices at approximately 87 million, which will sound even if set to silent². It also reports that after the April 2023 test some users said their phones did not sound, with the government saying the problem was traced back to specific networks².

Why it matters for households

The Storm Éowyn alert reached households in Scotland and Northern Ireland only; the Cabinet Office does not report alerts being sent elsewhere in the UK for that storm¹. The system is intended to warn of a potential danger to life nearby, and the September test message states that no action needs to be taken during a drill¹. The Cabinet Office says the government is testing the system to make sure it works optimally and to familiarise the public with the alerts¹.

Lancashire Resilience Forum reports that domestic violence charities have expressed concern that an alert could reveal secret phones kept hidden by people experiencing abuse, and says anyone with concerns is advised that the alert can be avoided². It lists the settings it says can be used to turn alerts off on iOS and Android devices and on Huawei devices running EMUI 11 or older, and notes that switching the device off entirely or putting it in aeroplane mode before 3pm is another option². The Cabinet Office says its public information campaign ahead of the test included communications targeted at vulnerable groups such as victims of domestic abuse, and featured the first national information video in British Sign Language¹.

The Cabinet Office points households to gov.uk/prepare for practical advice on steps to take before emergencies, and to gov.uk/alerts for more information, including the message in Welsh¹. For background on how alerts arrive and what a test involves, see what happens during an emergency alert test and the staying informed hub.

What happens next

The second national test is due at around 3pm on Sunday 7 September 2025¹. The Cabinet Office says the test follows a government commitment to test the system regularly¹. No further test dates have been reported.