Gallery
Storm Eunice: How the day unfolded in Suffolk in pictures
A large tree brought down power cables in Lacey Street, Ipswich - Credit: Archant
Storm Eunice battered Suffolk throughout Friday with winds in excess of 70mph – here's how the day unfolded.
In the early hours of the morning, the Met Office issued a rare red weather warning for wind for much of the south-east of England, including Ipswich, Woodbridge, Felixstowe and Sudbury.
Winds were comparatively tame as people started to head to work in the morning at between 40 and 50mph, but the closure of the Orwell Bridge was leading to queues of traffic in Ipswich.
Traffic built up in Ipswich after the A14 Orwell Bridge closed at 4am on Friday - Credit: Archant
People were also braving the conditions when walking on Felixstowe seafront, but the force of the wind was clearly visible as waves crashed in the sea.
The waves were choppy as wind speeds picked up in Felixstowe - Credit: Sarah Lucy Brown
A man braves Storm Eunice at Landguard Point, Felixstowe - Credit: Sarah Lucy Brown
However, the gales rapidly began to pick up by late morning as people started to share pictures of fallen trees on social media.
This fallen tree, in Joes Road in Sudbury, was one of the first shared on social media on Friday - Credit: Grace Penny
By midday, police in Suffolk had been called to a number of trees that had blocked major roads in the county – including on the A134 near Sicklesmere and the A143 at Stradishall.
The A134 at Sicklesmere, near Sudbury, was closed at about midday after a tree fell in the winds - Credit: Suffolk police
The wind was also causing some power cables to be brought down, leaving thousands of homes without electricity at various points throughout the day.
Suffolk Highways shared this picture of a tree bringing down power cables near Clare - Credit: Suffolk Highways
The strongest winds arrived between 12pm and 3pm, with one of the roads near Sudbury town centre being blocked after a huge tree fell on a home in Gainsborough Street.
Gainsborough Street in Sudbury was closed after a huge tree fell in Storm Eunice - Credit: Sarah Lucy Brown
Another incident saw one person taken to hospital after they became trapped under a fallen tree outside Ipswich International Church in Portman Road.
A tree fell on a person in Portman Road, Ipswich - Credit: Archant
A section of Bury St Edmunds town centre was even closed off by police after roof tiles were seen flying off a building.
Police sealed off Bury St Edmunds town centre after roof tiles flew off a building in Storm Eunice - Credit: Suffolk police
Most Read
- 1 Plans for new gym on Bury industrial estate given go-ahead
- 2 Severe delays on A14 after lorry sheds load of sand on carriageway
- 3 Person arrested as cannabis factory discovered at Bury St Edmunds home
- 4 A14 closed after crash involving lorry and car
- 5 Unclaimed £83k winning EuroMillions lottery ticket was bought in Suffolk
- 6 Police concerned for welfare of missing Suffolk man last seen two weeks ago
- 7 Teen ordered to sign sex offenders' register after police sting
- 8 Large stone thrown through car window in Bury St Edmunds
- 9 Police appeal after woman in her 70s suffers internal injuries in crash
- 10 Woman taken to hospital after crash in west Suffolk closes road
Wind speeds started to peter out into the evening, but an amber weather warning remained in place until 9pm as gusts of about 40mph were forecast.
It was later revealed that Suffolk Highways had been called to almost 150 reports of fallen trees across the county's road network, with only about a third of these cleared by 6pm on Friday.
The storm also left nearly 14,000 homes without power throughout the day – with 11,900 properties still affected by Saturday morning.
The Orwell Bridge near Ipswich reopened on Saturday morning - Credit: Sarah Lucy Brown
The Orwell Bridge was finally reopened in the early hours of Saturday after a near 24-hour closure.
