Repairs are being carried out on the roof of Titanic Belfast after Storm Isha
Efforts to repair Northern Ireland’s power grid could be hampered by the approaching Storm Jocelyn, NIE Networks said.
Around 4,500 homes and businesses remained without power in Northern Ireland as of 3pm (GMT) on Tuesday, with power restored to around 48,000 customers.
Northern Ireland was hit hard by Storm Isha on Sunday and Monday.
Storm Jocelyn has brought a further yellow wind warning, which will remain in place until 13:00 GMT on Wednesday.
However, NIE Networks predicts that the number of customers affected by power outages will rise again, particularly in the North and East Coast regions, as Jocelyn brings strong winds over the next few hours.
“NIE Networks continues to work to recover supplies in a safe location and will assess the damage caused by Storm Jocelyn during the evening,” said Randal Gilbert of NIE Networks.
“While wind gusts of 55 to 56 mph are fairly typical for a winter storm in these regions, Isha’s resilience is expected to be reduced following the storm’s impact, and ongoing recovery and repair efforts may be hindered.”
This could result in further damage to buildings, power outages, and transportation disruptions.
Strong winds are expected
Storm Jocelyn is not expected to be as intense as Storm Isha, but the National Weather Service has warned of wind gusts of up to 65 mph (104 kph).
Stronger winds are possible in areas with more wind.
Storm Jocelyn is the 10th named storm of the season
Mr Huston told BBC News NI’s Good Morning Ulster program that massive efforts had been undertaken to get the power grid back on track.
He added that a decision will be made Tuesday afternoon on whether ground crews making repairs in the wake of Jocelyn should continue their work.
Houston said about 250 utility poles and about 300 wires were severely damaged during Isha.
on site
Cormac Campbell, BBC News NI South East correspondent
The main road between Belfast and Downpatrick remains closed between Carryduff and Saintfield.
This was due to fallen trees and utility poles that were so severely damaged that they snapped in half.
As a result, power lines are hanging over busy roads.
Engineers work to repair damage to NI’s power grid
For many commuters, this means a detour via Temple or Ballygowan.
As a result of the continued closure, approximately 400 students at nearby Millennium Comprehensive Elementary School had two unscheduled days off in a row.
Beth Lunney from Saintfield Garden Center said it was a “quiet day” due to nearby road closures.
“We have put up detour signs on Ballygowan Road in Stfield so traffic is being diverted,” she told BBC News NI.
“There are a few cars coming in from the side roads for those who know the back roads, but the road is closed from our corner to just before the Carryduff traffic lights.”
Beth Ranney said the garden center, located just outside the road closure area, was quieter than usual.
Lunney said signs indicating accessible stores would be helpful, especially for people who don’t know the area.
“It would have been nice if it had been resolved by tee time yesterday, but the lights kept flashing and the cones were still stuck in place, so nothing was being communicated.
“It definitely takes patience.”
Titanic Museum closed
The tourist attraction was also closed on Tuesday due to damage to the Titanic Belfast’s roof.
The site’s director of operations, Siobhan Lynch, said customers who pre-booked would be notified and refunded and apologized for any inconvenience caused.
Northern Ireland Police reported receiving 670 calls related to Storm Isha between 3pm on Sunday and 3am on Monday.
One of north Antrim’s iconic Dark Hedge trees has fallen due to the fury of Storm Isha.
The Republic of Ireland was placed under a national yellow alert from Tuesday afternoon until Wednesday morning.
However, ESB Networks said 57,000 customers are still without power due to Storm Isha.
Met Éireann also issued a status orange warning for counties Donegal, Mayo and Galway on Tuesday night.
ESB’s Mark Madigan said on Tuesday that additional resources were being deployed to the area.
Approximately 25,000 customers in County Donegal were without power, which was severely affected.
BBC News NI’s weather presenter Barra Best explains how the naming system works and some of the names chosen.
He told BBC Radio Foyle’s North West Today: “There are networks on the ground, infrastructure on the ground that has been damaged and the repairs and recovery will take some time today and probably tomorrow.” Ta.
The disruption also affected thousands of air travelers across the UK and Ireland.
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Storm Jocelyn, named by Met Éireann, is the 10th storm of the season.
This is the first storm starting with J since Storm Jake in March 2016.