Winter can bring many dangers for windscreens that can leave them needing to be replaced or at least repaired, but few will be as widespread as a major storm with high winds.

The current season had already brought four named storms before the Met Office announced Storm Eowyn was on the way, but this one came with the dire warning that it posed a serious risk to life in Northern Ireland and much of Scotland.

This was the first time since the Met Office started naming storms 14 years ago that a red weather warning had been issued in Northern Ireland, with winds of nearly 100 mph expected. Even outside these areas, there are significant dangers and an orange warning was issued across the northern half of Britain.

While people may keep themselves safe by staying at home, any cars that are left outside, especially without the protection of a garage, will be at high risk of windscreens being damaged by flying or falling debris. The high winds are expected to bring down trees and power lines and cause minor structural damage in many places.

Because the red alert areas include urban areas such as Belfast and Scotland’s central belt, with other cities across the north of England and Scotland in the orange areas, many cars will be parked on streets due to there being no garage available and therefore will be vulnerable.

The south of England will be spared the severe winds this time, but on many other occasions, it has been that part of the country that has suffered the worst conditions.

This was especially true in the ‘Great Storm’ of 1987, when the south was hit by winds of over 100 mph in places, causing widespread damage and 18 deaths. The event was also remembered for weatherman Michael Fish making dismissive comments the day before about a phone call he had received from someone saying a hurricane was on the way.