Near-hurricane winds leave thousands powerless

MET ÉIREANN insisted yesterday “the worst of the bad weather is over” after thousands of homes were left without electricity following an all-night raging storm.

Winds in the early hours of yesterday gusted at 91 knots, with a ferocity in excess of 170km/h recorded at Malin Head at 5.30am — a speed only surpassed seven times in Ireland, Met Éireann said.

At 5.40am the Malin station recorded a 10-minute average windspeed of 68 knots (126km/h). That is equivalent to Beaufort scale 12 — hurricane force.