Second storm, Jocelyn, to hit on Tuesday as thousands remain without power and water – The Irish Times

Main points

• A status-yellow wind warning is in place in Clare, Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo until 7pm. A status yellow thunderstorm warning in also in place for Donegal until 6pm
• A second storm, named Jocelyn, is due to hit Ireland on Tuesday, bringing very strong winds with severe and damaging gusts. Orange-level wind warnings will be in place for counties Donegal, Mayo and Galway and yellow wind warnings in Leitrim, Sligo, Clare, Kerry, Leinster, Cavan, Monaghan, Cork, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford and Roscommon
• Met Éireann said Storm Jocelyn will result in very difficult travelling conditions due to fallen trees and power lines and further damage to buildings weakened in Storm Isha
• ESB says approximately 93,000 premises are still without power in the Republic and that counties Donegal, Sligo, Mayo, Leitrim and Cavan remain the worst affected. It has said it crews will continue to work overnight but the forecast Storm Jocelyn may hamper efforts. About 17,000 customers remain without power in Northern Ireland
• Uisce Éireann has said some 35,000 people are experiencing interruptions in their water supply, mainly in the northwest
• Gardaí are advising road users to be careful of fallen trees, debris and flooding, particularly on secondary roads. The PSNI says a number of roads across Northern Ireland remain impassable
• Dublin Airport is operating as normal although around 30 flights were cancelled. Airport operators have said “some disruption” to airline schedules “is possible” due to the ongoing impact of the storm
• The world-famous Dark Hedges in Co Antrim, which featured in Game of Thrones and attract thousands of visitors every year, have been damaged by Storm Isha with at least three trees down

Read more:

This concludes our live rolling coverage for Monday of Storm Isha.

Thank you for staying with us and check back in tomorrow for more updates as they become available and as we look ahead to the oncoming Storm Jocelyn on Tuesday night.

In its latest update at 5.35pm on Monday, ESB said that approximately 93,000 premises, including homes, farms and businesses, are still without power following Storm Isha.

The worst affected counties are mainly in the northwest of the country and include Donegal, Sligo, Mayo, Leitrim and Cavan.

The energy provider said its crews and contractors would continue to work throughout the night and into Tuesday but that it may take days to restore power in some areas and that the oncoming Storm Jocelyn may further hamper efforts.

Check the outages in your local area on powercheck.ie and esbnetworks.ie or by following @ESBNetworks on X (formerly Twitter).

Uisce Éireann (Irish Water) has posted an update on its crews efforts to restore supplies impacted by Storm Isha.

In a statement, it said some 35,000 people across the country are experiencing water outages, most of those being in the northwest in counties Mayo, Donegal, Leitrim and Cavan. Some disruption to supply has also been reported in the southeast.

“We also continue to closely monitor the Greater Dublin area following record demand for water in recent days. There has been a significant increase in bursts across the region and there may be some localised disruption as repairs are carried out … We are also liaising closely with the ESB to prioritise the restoration of power to plants that remain affected by electricity outages, with backup generators in place at our plants to maintain supplies in many areas.”

Northern Ireland Electricity has issued an update saying some 17,000 customers are still without power across the North. It has advised that efforts to restore power may be further hampered with the onset of Storm Jocelyn.

However, the supplier said it working with councils to provide services, including showers and device charging, to members of the community still without power at Lisburn Leisureplex, Brownlow Hub Craigavon and Fermanagh Lakeland Forum. These facilities are open until 9pm on Monday.

From Stephen Maguire in Co Donegal:

A bus driver suffered cuts and bruises after a Bus Éireann service was struck by a falling tree during Storm Isha.

The incident happened on the Donegal to Dublin Expressway service on Monday night.

Bus Éireann had earlier cancelled all their services from Donegal from 9pm until 1am during the height of the Status Red weather alert.

However, the bus at the centre of the incident had left Donegal Town at 7pm before the status Red alert was due to hit Donegal at 9pm.

As winds began to whip up, the driver took a decision to turn back because of fallen trees along the route.

But as the bus drove back towards Donegal Town it was struck by a large tree outside Milltown, Co Fermanagh.

The windscreen was smashed and part of the tree came into the driver’s dashboard causing damage.

The driver was struck by the tree but managed to keep control of the bus and brought it to a safe stop.

One passenger on the bus said it was a terrifying experience but paid tribute to the driver.

“The driver had a few cuts and bruises but wasn’t injured significantly but he did an amazing job in bringing the bus to a safe stop. It was quite frightening. It seemed that the tree appeared out of nowhere and suddenly I remember thinking we weren’t going to stop in time so I braced and I remember hearing the windscreen smashing.

“Thank God no one was seriously injured but the driver deserves so much credit in how he reacted. He was very calm considering what had happened.”

Police in the North have confirmed a man in his 60s has died after his car crashed into a fallen tree in Co Derry during Storm Isha, our Northern Editor Freya McClements writes.

The PSNI said he was the driver of a van which was involved a collision with a fallen tree and another van on Broad Road in Limavady at about 9.45pm on Sunday.

The driver of other vehicle has been taken to hospital for treatment. Broad Road was closed for a time but has now reopened.

DUP councillor Stephen Callaghan, the mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens council, told the BBC “people were travelling along the road on their way home and unfortunately a tree has come down in front of them, there’s been a collision … and unfortunately someone has lost their life.

“It’s devastating news for the family, sad news for the Limavady … It would be shocking to be waking up this morning to find out some of your loved ones haven’t made it home as a result of the storm.”

Meanwhile, across Northern Ireland the cleanup is continuing after high winds caused by Storm Isha caused widespread damage, blocked roads and left thousands of homes without electricity.

Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) Networks said on Monday afternoon about 17,000 customers remained without power, and 36,000 customers had been reconnected.

It said teams were “working hard to restore power as quickly and safely as possible” but the damage to the network following the storm was “significant, with fallen trees and debris at times blocking access routes and hampering repair efforts.”

A status yellow thunderstorm warning is now in place until 6pm on Monday for Donegal with chances of hail alongside heavy rain.

In it’s most recent update, ESB has said that it will be conducting patrols using helicopters to asses damage to their network in the west of the country.

A second man in the UK has died in Storm Isha.

In Scotland, an 84-year-old man died after the car in which he was a front seat passenger crashed into a fallen tree in Grangemouth, Falkirk, police said.

The incident happened on the A905 Beancross Road at around 11.45pm on Sunday during an amber weather warning issued by the UK’s Met Office which covered the whole country. – PA

More pictures of the damage done by Storm Isha

This could be the busiest storm season on record given named storms were first introduced in 2015/2016.

We are already up to Storm Jocelyn, the letter J being the 10th letter of the alphabet.

The only time in the past when a named storm has got past the letter J was for Storm Katie in March 2016 which brought winds of almost 150km/h to parts of southern England.

It is understood a man has died in Co Derry after a tree fell on his car during Storm Isha.

It happened while he was driving on Broad Road in Limavady on Sunday evening.

The police remain at the scene, and local diversions are in place.

SDLP councillor Ashleen Schenning told the BBC it was “terrible, terrible news” and “to wake up and realise that, as a result of a tree coming down, someone lost their life, is just devastating.”

Workmen continue their clear up as a number of trees in Northern Ireland made famous by the TV series Game Of Thrones have been damaged and felled by Storm Isha. Work is being carried out to clear up at the Dark Hedges site in Co Antrim.

ESB Networks has issued its latest update. More than 155,000 homes, farms and businesses remain without power as of 12.35pm, down from more than 235,000 at the peak.

The main areas impacted are predominantly in the northwest including counties Donegal, Sligo, Mayo, Leitrim and Cavan. The damage is mainly attributable to fallen trees on overhead lines as a result of the high winds.

All available ESB Networks resources are now being deployed, along with assistance from partner contractors.

Crews are currently in the process of assessing damage, making the network safe and repairing electricity supply where safe to do so.

However, it warned that due to the severity of Storm Isha, full restoration of electricity supplies could take a number of days.

“While we continue to restore electricity to large numbers of customers, we expect to have significant numbers of customers without power tonight,” ESB Networks said in a statement.

“Given the extensive damage to the network, unfortunately some customers will be without power for a number of days. Orange- and yellow-level winds associated with Storm Jocelyn tomorrow [Tuesday] may hamper restoration efforts.”

A number of trees in Northern Ireland made famous by the TV series Game Of Thrones have been damaged and felled by Storm Isha.

Work is being carried out to clear up the Dark Hedges site in Co Antrim.

The tunnel of trees became famous when it was featured in the HBO fantasy series and now attracts significant numbers of tourists from around the world.

Storm Isha battered Northern Ireland on Sunday night, with strong winds leaving thousands of properties without power and causing travel disruption.

Mervyn Storey, chairman of the Dark Hedges Preservation Trust, said: “It looks like there are three trees down. We have had people out since dawn trying to clear the road. There are a number of other trees down in the area as well.”

Mr Storey, a DUP councillor, added: “This was a very intense storm for a period of time. Because there has been snow and rain before, the ground around the base of the trees is sodden; when the wind comes they just move. It focuses again the need to have something which protects these trees, something to preserve what is left of the Dark Hedges.”

Last year work was carried out to remove six of the Dark Hedges trees and to carry out remedial work on several others after surveys highlighted safety issues over their condition.

Concerns have been raised about the state of several of the ancient beech trees for a number of years.

The trees in Bregagh Road, near Stranocum, are on privately-owned land.

The North’s Department for Infrastructure said last year that an independent specialist survey had found that 11 trees, out of a total of 86, were in a poor condition and could pose a potential risk to the public.

Following discussions with relevant landowners and other stakeholders, arrangements were made to remove a number of the trees, retaining the stumps.

The trees were planted to line Bregagh Road to Gracehill House, which was built around 1775. Originally, there were about 150 trees. – PA

Who is Jocelyn Bell Burnell after whom the new storm is named?

Bell was a 24-year-old PhD student from Belfast, reading radio astronomy at Cambridge University and examining newly-discovered quasars (quasi-stellar radio sources), incredibly bright and incredibly compact structures of light and energy at the centre of galaxies.

She spent months reviewing printouts from a radio telescope when she noticed small rhythmic blips on the paper one night in July.

The blips turned out to be signals from a radio source which had never been conceived before, let alone discovered.

Yet, in 1974 she was denied the Nobel Prize for Physics. Instead, her supervisor, Prof Antony Hewish, became the first astronomer to be awarded the Nobel Prize in physics, which he shared with Martin Ryle, the then Astronomer Royal and pioneer of radio telescope technology.

A new named storm is on its way and with it comes an orange wind warning.

Storm Jocelyn is named after the Irish astrophysicist Jocelyn Bell Burnell who discovered radio pulsars and whom many people feel was unfairly denied a Nobel Prize for physics in 1974.

A status orange level warning will be in place for Donegal from 6pm on Tuesday to 2am on Wednesday.

A similar warning is in place for Galway and Mayo from 6pm on Tuesday to midnight.

The rest of the country will have a status yellow wind warning from Tuesday evening into the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Donegal Democrat reporter Chris McNulty said there is “widespread destruction” across the county.

“It’s the worst storm I have ever seen. We have had a lot of alerts over the last few years, but this was new level stuff,” he told the Claire Byrne Show.

Thousands of householders across the county are still without power and it may be 6pm before all premises find their electricity restored.

Ocean FM presenter John Lynch said the exemption of Sligo from the status red warning was a big talking point in the county given that neighbouring counties were all included.

The major issue in Sligo and north Leitrim is falling trees with a number of roads blocked.

There are power outages too in Colloney in Co Sligo and Manorhamilton in Co Leitrim.

Met Éireann forecaster Gerry Murphy said Storm Isha was the most powerful storm on the planet at its height on Sunday night and Monday morning.

The highest wind speed was the 137km/h recorded at Mace Head in Co Galway on Sunday night. Galway was part of the Status Red zone. There was also a mean wind speed for 98km/h over 10 minutes at the same location. Malin Head recorded a gust of 133km/h at 11pm on Sunday night.

He said another “very windy event” is on its way from midday on Tuesday to Wednesday morning. A status yellow wind warning will cover the whole island from 5pm on Tuesday to 2am on Wednesday. A status orange wind warning will be in place in Donegal from 6pm on Tuesday until 2am on Wednesday, and in Galway and Mayo from the same time until midnight.

It will not be as strong as Storm Isha but many trees and structures have been weakened as a result of the previous storm, he told the Claire Byrne Show.

More wet and windy weather is in store for the rest of the week with the possibility that they might develop into active storms.

There was not a single named storm in the 2022/2023 season which ran from September 2022 to September 2023.

Already this season we have already had nine named storms.

It never rains, but it pours literally and figuratively.

A status yellow wind warning is in place for Clare, Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo until 7pm this evening.

A status yellow wind warning is in place on Tuesday night from Clare, Kerry, Galway and Mayo from midday on Tuesday to 2am on Wednesday morning.

A similar warning is in place from 5pm on Tuesday to 2am on Wednesday for all of Leinster, Cavan, Monaghan, Cork, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford and Roscommon.

Our Northern Editor, Freya McClements, writes that in the North this morning approximately 40,000 customers remain without power, and 53,000 lost their electricity supply at the height of the storm.

More than 1,000 obstructions, mainly due to fallen trees, have been reported across the entire road network since Sunday afternoon, TrafficwatchNI said.

It is asking motorists to consider if their journey is necessary, and if making a journey “be aware that there may be fallen trees, branches, wheelie bins or other debris on the road.”

The Police Service of Northern Ireland said it dealt with more than 1,300 calls from the public between 3.30pm on Sunday and 2am on Monday, approximately 600 of which were related to the storm.

A number of roads remained impassable on Monday morning, including the Seacoast Road in Co Derry and the Ballyquinn Road just outside Dungiven, also in Co Derry.

The Moneymore Road in Magherafelt, Co Derry, is closed at the Ballymohan Road and Dunronan Road junctions due to damage caused by a building by the extreme weather.

The police remain at the scene of a serious road traffic collision in the Broad Road area of Limavady, with local diversions in place.

Chief Superintendent Davy Beck said there was a “continued risk of significant debris on the road network.

“In light of this, we are urging road users to exercise extreme caution and be prepared for obstructions.

“We would also ask property owners to check for storm damage and ensure any such damage is secured, only when it is safe to do so.”

A spokesperson for The Shannon Airport Group has confirmed that 15 commercial flight diversions were facilitated at Shannon Airport yesterday and early this morning due to Storm Isha.

Commenting, a spokesperson for The Shannon Airport Group said: “Shannon Airport was fully operational yesterday and last night, operating our normal schedule and available to accept aircraft diversions throughout Storm Isha.

“Our airport staff worked tirelessly yesterday and throughout the night to facilitate flights impacted by Storm Isha, managing 15 flight diversions yesterday and overnight. We expect to operate a normal flight schedule today, and we remain available to facilitate further diversions if required.”

Flights from Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Poland, and the UK diverted to Shannon Airport during the course of the Storm. In total, ten flights due to land at Dublin Airport and four flights originally due to land at Cork airport diverted to Shannon. In addition, an Edinburgh bound flight which took off from Stansted diverted to Shannon at 02:37 this morning. All 15 flights landed safely.

The storm may have passed, but more unsettled weather is on the way.

Tuesday morning will be very wet and windy everywhere and a new low pressure system will move in tomorrow evening with the potential for more weather-related warnings.

The national director for Fire and Emergency Management Keith Leonard said the worst affected area of the country are in the west and northwest. He said the damage being done is towards the “upper end” done by storms this season and there are a lot of fallen trees and power lines about.

Dublin Airport is open today and should operate as normal once the backlog of flights is cleared, according to its spokesman Graeme McQueen.

He added: “Winds associated with Storm Isha have eased this morning, while wind direction has changed to a more favourable westerly direction, allowing for a smooth first wave of flights. However, with some aircraft still out of position, a total of 29 flights have been cancelled as of 8.30am today, including 16 arriving flights and 13 departures. “This is in addition to the 166 inbound and outbound flights that were cancelled by airlines on Sunday. In addition on Sunday, 36 flights opted to divert away from Dublin Airport to other airports, while 34 aircraft performed go-arounds.

“Passengers scheduled to fly on Monday are advised to check directly with their airline regarding the status of their flight. Passengers seeking to re-book cancelled flights are encouraged to do this online to avoid unnecessary queuing at airline desks in the terminals which will be extra busy.

“Our advice to passengers flying on Monday remains to arrive at their terminal two hours before a short-haul flight and three hours before a long-haul flight.

“For any of our car park customers delayed coming back into Dublin Airport due to Storm Isha, we will be happy to waive any additional fees they may have incurred as a result. Impacted passengers should speak with a member of staff on the ground or use the intercom facility at the pay stations before exiting the car park advising them of their flight details.”

Two people have died in separate road traffic incidents as a result of Storm Isha.

A woman died at 1.50am on Monday morning at Carnalogue in Co Louth when a van collided with a tree.

The woman, aged in her 20s, who was a passenger in the van received fatal injuries and was later pronounced dead at the scene.

At 6.15pm on Sunday night a man died when he drove into a flood on the N17 at Lisduff, Claremorris, Co Mayo.

A man in his 40s died when the car he was driving crashed on the N17 at Lisduff, Claremorris, Co Mayo at around 6.30pm on Sunday. The crash happened during difficult driving conditions due to Storm Isha.

Police in Northern Ireland remain at the scene of a serious road traffic collision caused by fallen debris in the Broad Road area of Limavady, Derry this morning.

Separately, the PSNI said that one person was struck by falling debris yesterday after scaffolding became dislodged in Belfast. They were treated at the scene by emergency services.

The western seaboard bore the brunt of the impact of Storm Isha. Kerry County Council’s emergency response line got 150 call-outs from midday on Sunday.

Tralee and Killarney were worst affected with a lot of trees down in the town, but also damage to hoardings and road signs. A lot of private houses were damaged.

By 5pm on Sunday, when the Status Orange came into effect, crews were stood down because it was too dangerous to carry on working.

It will be “several hours” before the clean-up in the county can be completed, Kerry County Council spokesman Owen O’Shea told Morning Ireland.

He cautioned that, while the storm had passed, the clean-up operation is only beginning as daylight breaks.

Galway County Council spokesman Derek Pender said the county was battered by some of the highest winds of Storm Isha.

From 3pm onwards on Sunday, reports came in of felled trees. He said the public need to be patient as it may take some time to remove debris from the road.

He suggested that people should work from home on Monday if that is possible.

Martina Hughes of Mayo County Council said the situation between 5pm and 9pm during the Status Red warning.

The south and east of the county were worst affected by the storm.

Dublin Airport is operating as normal this morning with winds more favourable to take-off and landing.

There has been a very busy level of departure and arrive from the airport on Monday morning.

The wind direction has changed to a westerly direction.

However, there are 29 flights cancelled with 16 of them arrivals and 13 departures.

This is as a result of the knock-on effects of Storm Isha, according to daa spokesman Kevin Cullinane.

He told Morning Ireland that the passenger whose flights were cancelled will need to contact their airlines to book on later flights.

He encouraged people to try to do that online rather than come to Dublin Airport first.

Some 20,000 passengers had their travel plans disrupted on Sunday with a quarter of all flights cancelled.

A lot of aircraft are in the wrong place, he added. “The majority of those aircraft got back into Dublin last night, but some of them are out of position,” he explained.

Cork Airport has had a good start to the day with minimal disruption. There had been 10 flights cancelled in total and six flights were diverted.

Storm Isha has affected Donegal worst of all. There is “widespread destruction” across the county and crews will be out all day removing debris, fallen trees and power lines from roads, according to Brian Cannon from Donegal County Council.

There are trees down across the entire county. He told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that drivers should reconsider travelling today.

Dublin Airport said it is operating as normal this morning. Some disruption to airline schedules is possible today due to the ongoing impact of #StormIsha. Those scheduled to fly are advised to check with their airline regarding the status of their flight.

Dublin Bus said all services are operating as normal. Customers can get updates on Facebook, follow us on Twitter @dublinbusnews or call our customer service line on (01) 8734222.

Luas Rails advised passengers to allow extra time to travel due to the stormy weather.

Irish Rail warned customers of reduced capacity expected on:

• 6:35am Newry to Connolly
• 5:25am Limerick to Heuston
• 8:00am Heuston to Cork
• 11:25am Cork to Heuston
• 8:15pm Heuston to Carlow
• 9:36 Carlow to Heuston
• 11:10pm Heuston to Kildare
• Some additional Heuston to Drogheda departures

It also informed customers of delays on the following services:

• 6:50am Belfast to Connolly – 60-minute delay expected
• Additional service to operate 8:02am – Dundalk to Connolly
• 5:25am Galway to Heuston approximately – 30 minutes delayed
• 5:15am Westport to Heuston approximately – 35 minutes delayed

Clean-up continues following Storm Isha. Dublin Fire Brigade were called to a shed lifted by strong winds off Kevin Street.

They were able to secure the scene by dismantling and securing the shed.

The Irish Coast Guard asked people not to take risked and to keep well clear from the coastline due to the terrible conditions seen in Dún Laoghaire harbour.

A tree was cleared off the road at the Pavilions Roundabout/Malahide Rd in Finglas.

Power outages continue this morning as ESB work to re-establish electricity across the country