Large areas of Britain, including London, were put on maximum weather alert on Friday and the country prepared to deploy troops to deal with Hurricane Younis with strong winds.

Several flights have been canceled at the capital’s airports. Millions of Britons have been called to stay home by the Met Office, the British meteorological service, which on Thursday issued a red alert for the south-west of England and the south of Wales – the highest level.

Rarely, the Met Office issued a second maximum alert on Friday morning, this time for the southeast of the country, including the capital London, for the first time since the alert system was implemented in 2011.

Secretary of State for Security Damien Hinds called on Britons to “use caution and stay safe” as gusts of wind can reach up to 145 km/h on the coast and 130 km/h on land.

“There is a danger to life during a major weather event like this,” he said on Sky News channel. He stressed that the army is ready to deploy to face the storm which could be one of the most critical in the last three decades. ,

An inter-ministerial crisis meeting is scheduled for Friday afternoon.

The UK Environment Agency has also warned there could be major flooding and most schools in the country’s south west remain closed on Friday.

British Airways has canceled “many flights” and rail companies have called on their users to “not travel”, warning that disruptions could be announced at the last minute.

The UK Motorway Network has also reported a “particularly high risk” of accidents. In Wales, all buses and trains are at a standstill.

According to public media RTE, more than 55,000 homes had no electricity on Friday morning in neighboring Ireland, where all schools will remain closed for the day.

Another storm, Dudley, caused less severe disruption in Scotland and northern England on Wednesday, leaving thousands of homes without electricity.