Heads up for non UK people: if your mutuals aren't online for the next couple of days, its because we have a HUGE Atlantic storm about to hit the entire country. Storm Eunice is due to make landfall 9am Friday Feb 18th, with sustained wind speeds of 80mph in the west of the country, and even 400+ miles inland, the storm will still be strong enough to obliterate urban areas and major cities with wind speeds of 70mph.
Unfortunately this storm arrives after a very rainy winter, plus a previous storm having hit the country just 48 hours earlier. Coincide with an early spring, trees already starting to bud and grow leaves, and soft earth meaning root networks have only sodden ground to try and cling to, its looking like hundreds of thousands of homes could be without power.
On the plus side, homes here are generally made of stone, brick, or concrete, or substantial solid wooden buildings. But pretty much every govt agency is warning against travelling apart from essential journeys only.
The last time we had a storm with wind speeds this high, it cut power to 70% of the country for 10 days (1987).
So, fingers crossed we're all still here come Sunday.