One of the iconic Dark Hedges trees in north Antrim fell as Storm Isha raged
Thousands of homes in Northern Ireland remain without power after Storm Isha caused severe disruption.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said a number of roads across Northern Ireland remain impassable on Monday.
It said between 15:30 GMT on Sunday and 02:00 on Monday officers dealt with about 600 calls related to the storm.
NIE Networks said about 17,000 customers were without electricity at 16.00 GMT on Monday.
Power was restored to about 36,000 customers during Monday.
In the Republic of Ireland, about 155,000 homes and businesses are without power.
Storm Jocelyn announced
A further spell of very windy weather could bring further disruption this week as Storm Jocelyn approaches from the Atlantic, BBC News NI weather presenter Barra Best said.
The storm has been named after Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, a leading astrophysicist from Northern Ireland, by Irish weather service Met Éireann.
There will be a yellow warning for Northern Ireland from 16:00 on Tuesday.
The wind alert will stay in place until 13:00 on Wednesday after which the winds should begin to ease.
Although not expected to be as severe as Storm Isha, the Met Office is warning of wind gusts up to 65mph, possibly stronger in more exposed locations.
On Monday, PSNI Ch Supt Davy Beck said there is “a continued risk of significant debris on the road network” and he urged “extreme caution” for road users.
The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service said it received 236 emergency calls on Sunday in relation to the storm and mobilised to 96 incidents.
Meanwhile, NIE Networks director, Randal Gilbert, said restoring power across Northern Ireland could take a number of days.
“We’re also conscious that Storm Jocelyn is scheduled to arrive on Tuesday, which could hamper restoration efforts and potentially cause more damage,” Mr Gilbert added.
Police say a number of roads across Northern Ireland remain impassable on Monday.
Colin Sykes, from the Department for Infrastructure, said it had been a “very difficult evening” with more than 1,000 incidents to deal with, including 930 reports of fallen trees and branches.
He added ongoing industrial action had “disrupted our ability to provide services”, but contingency plans including diverting other staff and using private contractors are in place.
This means the response will be “slower”, but, he added: “We will start to work through all of the priority routes and start to unblock as much as we can.”
Dark Hedges hit
Three of the iconic Dark Hedges trees in County Antrim have also been damaged as a result of the storm.
One of the trees, which had been deemed unsafe in a recent report, was marked to come down, but the other two were deemed to be “in a good state of health”, Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust chief Graham Thompson said.
He added one of the healthier trees also blew across the lane, damaging another and will also need to come down.
This was the scene at Irish Street in the Waterside area of Londonderry on Monday morning
The managing director of Belfast International Airport, Graham Keddie, said Sunday was “tough” for its teams, but most aircraft had landed and they had returned to “virtually normal operations” on Monday.
Translink said a tree had fallen on the Lisburn train line, causing delays and disruption to the Portadown to Bangor rail line.
It added that due to exceptional weather all train lines are disrupted on Monday morning. Travel updates are available here.
A fallen tree knocked over a street light on Church Road in the Castlereagh Hills
The PSNI said a multi-agency response continues to deal with the aftermath and recovery from Storm Isha and thanked the public for their “continued patience and understanding”.
A number of schools are closed on Monday. They are Nettlefield PS in Belfast, St Mary’s PS in County Tyrone, and County Down schools Killinchy PS and Meadow Bridge PS.
The Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs said Peatlands Park and Crawfordsburn Country Park are closed due to fallen trees. It added that car parking facilities and paths have been “impacted at Roe Valley Country Park, Ness Country Park and Banagher National Nature Reserve”.
A yellow weather warning for high winds ended at noon on Monday after an earlier amber warning.
A status yellow warning remains in place for six counties in the Republic of Ireland until 19:00 on Monday.
Escalated response
Claire Scullion, from NIE Networks, said at its peak 53,000 customers were without power.
“The force of the gusts and the sustained nature over several hours caused significant damage and the flying debris,” she told BBC News NI’s Good Morning Ulster programme.
“The fallen trees and the weather conditions made repairs very difficult over the night. We would say to the public, please do not approach any broken poles, overhead lines or any damaged electrical equipment.”
NIE Networks said the worst affected areas are Dungannon, Downpatrick, Enniskillen, Newry and Omagh, but added that there “are faults throughout Northern Ireland”.
Power outages or any incidents of damage to the electricity network can be reported to the NIE Networks Customer Helpline on 03457 643 643.
The disruption has affected thousands of air passengers across the UK and Ireland.
Among the flights diverted from Belfast International Airport on Sunday was a plane from Bulgaria carrying a group including 19 pupils and three teachers from Mill Strand Integrated Primary School in Portrush.
Principal Philip Reid said they experienced “extreme turbulence” as the plane made two attempts to land before being diverted to Manchester.
David Cox, who was on holiday in Gran Canaria, had his flight to Belfast diverted to Paris.
Describing himself as a nervous passenger, he said it was a “nightmare” scenario, and the landing in France was also “very blustery” and “very shaky”.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
