UK households are being urged to buy seven essential food items at supermarkets before Storm Eowyn strikes in the early hours of Friday.

The Met Office is warning people to brace for heavy downpours, snow and strong winds up to 90mph as weather conditions take a turn for the worse.

The forecaster said a major change to weather will start on Thursday as a powerful jet stream pushing low pressure across the Atlantic brings the storm towards the UK after a recent cold spell over North America.

The entire UK is covered by at least one yellow weather warning on Friday, with alerts in force for snow, wind and rain. A red ‘danger to life’ warning for wind has been issued for Northern Ireland and central and southwestern areas of Scotland, while an amber alert for wind covers parts of Northern Ireland, Scotland, northern England and Wales.

Met Office chief meteorologist Paul Gundersen said: “We reserve the issuing of Red Warnings for the most severe weather which represents a likely danger to life and severe disruption, and that is the case with Storm Éowyn.

“While it will be widely very windy on Friday, with additional hazards from rain and snow, the strongest winds and most significant impacts are likely in Northern Ireland and central and southwestern parts of Scotland within the Red Warning areas, where winds could gust 80-90 mph quite widely for a time, and potentially up to 100 mph for exposed coasts in particular.”

The Met Office has described the storm as a “multi-hazard event” which is expected to cause severe travel delays, power cuts, mobile phone outages and possible flooding, so households are urged to be prepared by making sure they have essential items on hand.

The Met Office said: “You could be without food, heat or light if you are cut off by snow and can’t access services and amenities for a number of days. Act now and be prepared, by getting the essentials together that you could need.”

As well as torches and battery packs, it’s recommended that households are well stocked with essential food items during bouts of bad weather. Direct Energy advises stocking up on non-perishable snacks and supplies so that you don’t go hungry in the event you can’t get out to your local shop, or you’re affected by a power outage.

According to the energy firm, households should ensure they have the following seven items ahead of a storm:

• Bottled water

• Bread

• Milk

• Tinned goods, especially warming foods like soups and stews

• Snack foods, such as crisps, crackers and cookies in sealed packages

• Cereal and granola

• Dried pasta and jars of sauce

The firm says: “After heavy snowfall or blizzard conditions, you could find yourself snowed in for days. Getting cut off from your local grocery store could be made worse by a prolonged power outage, which would leave you with just a few hours to enjoy the remaining contents of your fridge safely.

“But if you stock your pantry with filling shelf-stable foods, you won’t go hungry while waiting for the snow to be cleared.”

Met Office chief meteorologist Paul Gundersen adds: “Storm Éowyn is a multi-hazard event, with snow likely for some, rain for many and strong winds for much of the UK. As a result, a number of weather warnings have been issued, with all parts of the UK covered by one warning at some point on Friday.

“It’s important to note that even those away from the immediate Red Warning areas will still likely see disruptive weather, with travel plans likely to be severely impacted, as well as the possibility of power cuts for some.”