- Storm Darragh was the strongest to hit the State since Storm Ellen in August 2020. Mace Head in Co Galway recorded a wind speed of 111km/h and a gust speed of 141km/h on Friday night.
- About 395,000 homes, farms and businesses across the country were without power as of 7am on Saturday morning. By 11.30am, 325,000 were still without power.
- The UK’s Met Office also issued an amber wind warning for all six counties in Northern Ireland, valid until 9pm on Saturday.
- Power restoration could take days as forecaster warns ‘we’re not out of the woods yet’
- Video: Storm Darragh batters Ireland
That’s the end of our live coverage of Storm Darragh and its aftermath for today. Read our full report as thousands remain without power.
Late postponement of top flight soccer matches in North dubbed ‘shambolic’
Five NIFL Premiership matches have been called off due to the conditions in Northern Ireland. Linfield chairman Roy McGivern said it was shambolic that their match against Dungannon Swifts was called off just 70 minutes before kick-off.
He told the Belfast Telegraph: “Shambolic that our game is called of with some fans already at the ground and the rest on route. Questions need to be asked about why this call wasn’t made earlier.”
The 5pm kick-off between Coleraine and Portadown is still scheduled to go ahead.
Games postponed:
- Cliftonville vs Carrick Rangers
- Dungannon Swifts vs Linfield
- Glentoran vs Ballymena United
- Glenavon vs Crusaders
- Loughgall vs Larne
Meanwhile, the Titanic museum in Belfast has closed early due to the “ongoing inclement weather”. It will reopen tomorrow.
Irish Rail is reporting that services are resuming on the line between Howth Junction and Malahide following earlier disruption caused by a fallen tree, but delays are expected.
A man in his 40s has died in England during Storm Darragh on Saturday after a tree fell on to his van while he was driving on a dual carriageway, Lancashire police said.
In a statement on its website, Lancashire police said emergency services were called at about 9am on Saturday after the incident on the A59 at Longton near to the Lancashire police’s headquarters.
It added that the man, in his 40s, was driving a van on the dual carriageway when the tree fell on to his vehicle, causing serious injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene. An investigation is under way. - Guardian
In the North, the authorities are advising for essential travel as conditions on the roads are difficult because of the weather conditions.
There is disruption to Translink with bus and rail services impacted. Translink have taken steps to mitigate against the effects of Storm Darragh. Additional buses are on standby.
Chainsaw crews are ready to assist with any fallen debris blocking the railway. If roads are blocked, it may be necessary to divert Ulsterbus or Goldliner services.
Safety is Translink’s number one priority. All passengers should check the Translink Journey Planner or social media channels in advance of travel and to allow extra time for their journeys.
Flights are also disrupted. The Strangford Ferry is currently suspended until further notice.
Department for Infrastructure staff have been working through the night to respond to approximately 900 incidents which are mainly debris on the roads, fallen trees and branches and flooding.
Significant disruption remains on Irish Rail services today.
Trains from Dublin Connolly to Belfast are terminating in Dundalk with limited bus transfers operating to Belfast.
The Belfast/Northern commuter and Dart services lines are closed between Malahide and Howth Junction.
Services to and from Connolly Station to Sligo are disrupted because of a tree on the line near Enfield.
There are hour-long delays on the Limerick-Galway route.
The 10.25 Cork to Heuston Station train was cancelled because of damage to the train caused by the storm.
Impact of storm similar to Ophelia in 2017, says ESB
The ESB are working to restore power to 325,000 impacted homes and businesses following “widespread and extensive damage” to electricity infrastructure nationwide during Storm Darragh, a spokesman said.
The impact of Storm Darragh has been similar to the disruption and damage caused by Storm Ophelia in 2017, when 385,000 customers were left without power, the electricity provider said.
With more wind warnings in place, further power outages can be expected, the spokesman said.
“From our experience of previous significant weather events, we anticipate restoration will take a number of days and it is likely that the areas worst affected will take longer.”
Taoiseach Simon Harris has thanked ESB crews for their efforts to restore power to homes and businesses on Saturday morning.
In Co Clare, Doonbeg councillor and local business owner Rita McInerney said many businesses were not in a position to open on Saturday morning because of power outages linked to the windy conditions, writes Andrew Hamilton.
Met Éireann had a status red wind warning in place for Co Clare overnight.
“I don’t have a generator so there is nothing I can do until the power comes back,” said Ms McInerney.
The Fianna Fáil politician said she understood that a wedding party had to leave a marquee at Trump Doonbeg due to safety concerns related to the storm, but the hotel denied this.
A spokesman said the wedding was moved to a venue elsewhere on the grounds “in line with our well-established storm safety protocols” after the red warning was issued. “In full collaboration with our guests, we arranged in advance for the after-party to be hosted in a more secure location within the resort,” he said.
In Belfast, a number of roads, including Castle Street in the city centre, were closed on Saturday morning while clean up work was carried out after storm damage. – PA
Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) said about 46,000 customers were without power on Saturday morning following a night of high winds, but added this number could continue to rise across the morning.
It said damage including broken overhead power lines, fallen trees across lines and broken poles will require repair work expected to continue into Sunday.
“Hundreds of extra staff have been brought in to help reinforce our normal capability,” a spokesperson said.
“Our incident management centre at Craigavon has been opened, as have our local incident centres which are in locations across Northern Ireland and used by our teams to co-ordinate our localised response.
“We have mobilised additional call agents to deal with any queries customers may have regarding the repair process in their area.”
Any customers who lose power can report the fault online at nienetworks.co.uk or call the NIE Networks helpline on 03457 643 643. Regular updates will be posted to social media channels. – PA
The orange weather warning has now passed in the Republic, but remains in place in Northern Ireland until 9pm tonight.
The status yellow wind warning is in place in the Republic until 3pm today.
According to weather watcher Sryan Bruen, the 107km/h sustained wind speed recorded at Mace Head in Co Galway this morning was the highest wind speed recorded in Ireland for more than four years.
The gust at Mace Head of 141km/h was the highest gust in the country since Storm Ellen in August 2020.
The highest wind gust speeds recorded this morning were 124km/h at Knock airport, 122km/h at Roches Point in Co Cork and Sherkin Island, 120km/h at Shannon Airport, 115km/h at Cork Airport and 113km/h at Dublin Airport.
Spare a thought for passengers on the 06.40 Sligo to Connolly Station train.
A tree on the line means that their train has been stopped between Enfield and Kilcock.
Crews are en route to clear the line.
Tens of thousands of homes throughout Co Mayo are without electricity this morning due to Storm Darragh, writes Tom Shiel.
Flights into and out of Ireland West Airport Knock are badly affected.
Two flights due into Knock from London Stansted and Liverpool around half eight this morning had to be diverted to Dublin.
Also, an Aer Lingus flight due in around midday to Knock from London Heathrow has been cancelled.
Uncertainty surrounds whether other scheduled services at the airport throughout the day will have to be delayed or cancelled altogether.
Householders in many towns, including Castlebar, have been told it may be evening before power is restored.
With winds easing, Mayo County Council has begun an operation to clear roads blocked by debris and fallen trees.
Due to the Status Red weather warning issued by Met Éireann, the organisers of a concert featuring Tommy Fleming at Knock Basilica last night (Friday) was cancelled.
Trains on the Dublin Connolly to Belfast route are only travelling as far as Dundalk from Dublin because of the weather.
There are replacement buses on the route from Dundalk to Belfast.
Good news for travellers – Dublin Airport is fully operational this morning.
Strong winds continue which has resulted in a small number of “go-arounds” and two diversions over the past few hours.
The early wave of inbound transatlantic flights have all landed.
Overnight, Dublin Airport welcomed a total of 13 diversions from other airports. Five of those aircraft departed later, with the other eight provided with a stand for the night.
Passengers have been told to contact their airline directly for updates regarding specific flights.
The PSNI has reported the following road closures:
The Pettigo Road in Kesh is blocked due to a fallen electricity pole, please seek alternate routes for your journey.
The Malone Road in Belfast is currently blocked near the House of Sport due to fallen trees, please seek alternate routes for your journey.
Castle Street in Belfast is currently closed due to fallen cables. Please avoid the area.
Donegal is awakening after being battered overnight by Storm Darragh, writes Stephen Maguire.
The county was one of several which was put under a Status Red warning overnight until 3am this morning for heavy wind and rain.
As well as several fallen trees blocking roads this morning, there is also localised flooding in some areas.
Thousands of householders and businesses are also without power with many being told they will be without connection until after 5pm today.
Dozens of both sporting and social events were cancelled across the county in anticipation of the arrival of Storm Darragh last night.
They ranged from the annual North West Breast Cancer Ball in Letterkenny last night to 10am mass at St Michael’s Church in Creeslough this morning (SAT).
Ferry sailings to Arranmore and Tory Island were also cancelled for today while the Harry Blaney was closed overnight to vehicles because of high winds.
Clear-up teams are expected in several locations at first light this morning after trees came down at a number of locations including the R236 between St. Johnston and Tullyowen, the R236 near Convoy at Broad Road and at Station Road in Glenties.
Other trees have fallen at the N56 close to the national school in Falcarragh while local county councillor Michael McClafferty reported trees down in Creeslough.
Flooding was reported at the Dry Arch Roundabout in Letterkenny while trees were also down at Lough Eske between Christchurch and Harvey’s Point Crossroads.
Many homes are still without power with power lines being hit by high winds in a number of locations including Letterkenny, Carrigart, Muff, Newtowncunningham, Burnfoot and Lettermacaward.
Gardaí have warned people who must travel this morning to continue to take care as many roads are also covered in debris such as fallen branches which came down overnight.
There are still strong winds in many places as Storm Darragh’s tail continues to leave the county.
Storm Darragh is causing significant disruption to rail services across the country. Due to a fallen tree in Raheny, the line from Howth Junction to Clontarf is closed. Meanwhile, bus transfers are expected to operate due to trains terminating in Dundalk on the Connolly to Belfast route. Commuters planning to travel today are being urged to keep an eye on updates to services.
According the Mayo County Council, there are fallen trees on the N26 Swinford to Foxford Road and the R331 near Kilmaine.
There are also reports of a tree down on Forest Road in Carrigaline, Co Cork. Elsewhere in the Rebel County, trees are down on Mount Uniacke Road, Killeagh, and also between Mount Uniacke and Dungourney.
There have been some cancellations at Cork Airport due to Storm Darragh. The EI710 to London Heathrow at 7.40am and the EI3840 to Bristol at 10.30am have both been cancelled.
Thousands have also been left without power across Northern Ireland, however a note on the Northern Ireland Electricity Network’s website said the authority was unable to provide estimated restoration times. “Due to the number of faults we are currently experiencing on the network, we are unable to provide an estimated restoration time for your electricity supply at this time,” it read. “We are working to restore supplies as quickly and safely as possible.”
There are reports of several fallen trees across the country blocking roads. Limerick County Council crews were busy overnight, but the council says some roads will not be cleared until it is safe.
As of 7am, about 395,000 homes, farms and businesses across the country were without power as a result of Storm Darragh.
ESB Networks crews are assessing the damage, but with Met Éireann wind warnings remaining in place for the entire country until this afternoon, further power outages can be expected from potentially damaging gusts.
Last night, Bus Éireann cancelled several services running across the country due to the red weather warnings. Some early morning services were also cancelled for today, including the Shannon to Limerick, Dublin to Wicklow and Dublin to Donegal routes.
As well as airlines and ferries, the storm has also caused disruption to rail services. According to Irish Rail, several services including Waterford to Heuston, the Dart and Limerick to Galway are delayed due to fallen trees on the line. Elsewhere, Enterprise services from Connolly to Belfast will terminate in Dundalk this morning until further notice.
Some Irish Ferries sailings have been cancelled today including departures from Dublin, Cherbourg, Rosslare and Pembroke. For more information on delays and cancellations due to Storm Darragh, check the Irish Ferries website here.
Dublin Airport tweeted last night that while the airport is expected to be full operational today some scheduled flights have been cancelled
Storm Darragh has left thousands without power across Ireland, with several weather warnings still in place as the storm crosses the country.
Some roads in Cork, Kerry and Sligo had become “impassable” shortly after the storm’s arrival due to fallen trees, while other forms of debris including electrical wires posed a hazard.
At least 70,000 homes and businesses were without power late on Friday night after the storm made landfall shortly after 9pm.
Met Éireann has put in place status orange wind warnings covering Munster, Connacht, Leinster, Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan until 10am on Saturday. The forecaster says very strong and gusty northwest winds can be expected in these areas during this period, with the risk of fallen trees, damage to power lines and wave overtopping.
A status yellow wind warning is also in place for the whole country until 3pm on Saturday, while a status yellow rain warning has been issued for Clare, Connacht, Donegal, Cavan, Monaghan, Longford, Louth, Meath, and Westmeath until 10am.
A red weather warning – the most severe level – had previously been in place for several coastal counties as Storm Darragh made landfall. Those in the west and southwest were the worst affected as the storm made its way across the country.
Those living in areas under a status red weather warning were warned to not travel and “to shelter in place” in advance of Storm Darragh’s arrival on Friday night, which threatened to bring “violent, storm force conditions”.
