The same low-pressure system that brought historic snowfall to the U.S. Gulf Coast early this week intensified into an extremely powerful extratropical cyclone in the North Atlantic, designated Storm Éowyn under Europe's international system for naming such storms. Éowyn barreled into Ireland and the northern United Kingdom on Friday, January 24, bringing heavy wind damage, a destructive storm surge, and widespread power outages.
Provisionally, there was a gust to about 114mph in Ireland, which would be the highest ever recorded there if accurate.
The NOAA hurricane hunters were actually there doing some winter storm missions.