Emergency services braced for 100mph winds

Emergency services were on alert tonight with 100 mile per hour winds expected to wreak havoc across the country.

People were being advised to stay indoors, with structural damage to buildings and floods predicted, as a powerful storm battered the west coast.

Met Eireann issued a severe weather warning as heavy rain and winds of up to 93mph were recorded at Belmullet off the north west Coast of Mayo, while gusts of up to 63mph were recorded at Dublin Airport.

Emergency crews, including the civil defence teams, were on standby along the western coast, which was expected to be the worst hit area. The high winds were expected to sweep eastwards during the evening.

Forecasters expected winds to hit 55mph with gusts of between 80 to 100mph in the west and north. Met Eireann said a combination of very high tides and onshore gales would increase the risk of coastal flooding.

The country was just recovering from a weekend of gales and heavy rain which caused floods in parts of the south.

The high winds caused disruption across the country during the evening, with some walls knocked down and buildings in Galway suffering structural damage.

Around 2,500 customers were without electricity due to small problems across the network from Mayo up to Donegal.

The ESB said it hoped to have power restored this evening if the weather did not deteriorate further.

The AA urged drivers to take care with reports of fallen trees causing traffic chaos.

Fallen trees and other debris have caused delays across the country’s roads. The Millicent Bridge in Sallins, Co Kildare, is blocked by a fallen tree, and there are reports of problems in Donegal and Letterkenny.

In Co Limerick, the N20 between Croom and Banogue was partially blocked by a tree, while in Co Clare, a telephone pole was felled on the Sandfield Road in Ennis.

In Malahide in Co Dublin, a high tide has caused flooding on Bissets Strand, Strand Road and Estuary Road. Motorists were advised to avoid the area.

Drivers were warned to take care as conditions rapidly deteriorated in Co Galway and Co Mayo.

A number of schools in the north west have announced early closures today.

Ferry services to offshore islands in the west have been cancelled.

The seas off the west coast were described as “mountainous” with swells of up to 20 foot.

Galway Harbour Master, Brian Sheridan, said there was a risk of flooding at high tide in the city during the evening. He appealed to people to avoid the piers and quays for fear of being swept out to sea.

John Leech, Irish Water Safety chief executive, has warned motorists in the west and south and people living near rivers to be extremely vigilant.

“Motorists need to be particularly vigilant to avoid flooded areas on roads but particularly near rivers,” he said.

Most of the fishing fleets across the south and west coasts were sheltering in harbour.

The harsh winds and rain also led to the cancellation of air services.

Aer Arann suspended flights in and out of the Aran Islands, Dublin, Sligo, Donegal, Kerry, Waterford and Galway.

Aer Lingus and Ryanair both also moved to cancel a small number of flights.