LAST UPDATE | 23 Jan
AROUND 38,000 customers are without power across Ireland this evening following Storm Isha and as Storm Joselyn hits Ireland, with Status Orange wind warnings now in place for three counties.
A Status Orange wind warning has taken effect for Mayo and Galway from 5pm until midnight.
Another Status Orange wind warning is now in place for Donegal until 2am tonight.
Co Donegal was particularly hard hit during Storm Isha, with the roofs torn off some homes, and people living in houses impacted by defective concrete reporting further damage to their properties during the storm.
Met Éireann is warning of “damaging gusts” in these counties, large coastal waves, fallen trees, damage to power lines, and further damage to already weakened structures.
A Status Yellow warning is currently in place for Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo until 5am tomorrow morning, as the national forecaster has warned that Storm Jocelyn will bring “very strong” winds to these counties this evening, with the potential for wave overtopping, difficult travelling conditions, and debris.
Meanwhile, a Status Yellow wind warning is currently in place for Clare, Kerry, Galway and Mayo until 2am tonight.
Another Status Yellow warning for counties Leinster, Cavan, Monaghan, Cork, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford and Roscommon will be in place from 5pm this evening until 2am.
The UK Met Office has issued a Yellow wind warning for all of Northern Ireland, where Storm Jocelyn is expected to cause disruption to travel and utilities. This warning is effect until 1pm tomorrow.
The weather is to improve significantly tomorrow, as it will be mainly dry with sunny spells, and isolated showers. Winds will be moderate at first, and will ease during the day.
The weather is to remain unsettled further in the week, with wet conditions continuing into the weekend.
In the wake of Storm Isha 235,000 homes, farms and businesses were without power yesterday morning.
There are currently 24,000 customers still without power as of 5.15pm this evening.
In addition, 14,000 customers have lost supply following the high winds associated with Storm Jocelyn so far today.
The ESB has said all available resources are deployed in Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Longford, Mayo and Sligo. This includes crews and partner contractors who have travelled from less impacted areas of the country.
Many customers will remain without power tonight, while some will be without power for a number of days.
“It is important that any impacted customers who use electrically powered medical devices contact their healthcare professional to make alternative arrangements if necessary,” the ESB said.
“We apologise for the disruption to family and commercial life this causes, and thank customers across the country, especially those who will be without power again overnight, for their patience as our crews work to safely restore power,” it said.
Three people died in road traffic incidents during Storm Isha and its aftermath, including a woman in her twenties in Co Louth, a man in his 40s in Co Mayo, and a man in his 60s in Derry.
The Titanic museum in Belfast has closed today and tomorrow “due to damage caused to its roof during Storm Isha and further inclement weather from Storm Jocelyn preventing safe access to the roof”.
The Road Safety Authority is asking road users to exercise caution while using the roads today and tomorrow while the weather warnings are in place.
⚠️ Orange Weather Warning – Wind ⚠️
— RSA Ireland (@RSAIreland) January 23, 2024
📍 Galway, Mayo
📆 Tues 23, 5pm – Wed 24, 12am
Storm Jocelyn will bring very strong southwest to west winds with severe and damaging gusts. Impacts: pic.twitter.com/HhpqqQnL4p
The Health and Safety Authority is urging all workers involved in clean-up operations to put health and safety first, especially when operating chainsaws.
Almost 200 flights including arrivals and departures were cancelled at Dublin Airport between Sunday and yesterday, while 15 commercial airports had to divert to Shannon airport during Storm Isha as well.
Travellers are advised to check the status of their flights with their airline before heading to airports today.
Three commercial flights diverted to Shannon Airport from Cork this afternoon.
So far, the only time we reached ‘K’ under the current storm naming system was back in the 2015/2016 season when Storm Katie swept over the county in late March of 2016.
While other storms have been ascribed nicknames in the past – most notably, in recent years, 2014′s ‘Darwin’ – the official Met Éireann-endorsed storm naming system only began in autumn of 2015.
Initially, it was a joint project by Met Éireann and the UK Met Office – with the Netherlands’ weather service joining up and contributing suggestions for storm names since 2019. (Which explains why we sometimes end up with storms called things like ‘Henk’).
With reporting by Hayley Halpin and Lauren Boland
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