Incoming Storm Jocelyn will hamper electricity restoration, says ESB, as 45,000 properties without power

Storm Jocelyn is forecast to pass the northwest of Ireland today, 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.

Main points

Orange wind warning for Galway and Mayo from 5pm on TuesdayOrange wind warning for Donegal from 6pm on TuesdayYellow warning for Clare, Kerry, Galway and Mayo from 10am on TuesdayYellow warning for Leinster, Cavan, Monaghan, Cork, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford and Roscommon from 2pm on TuesdayMet Éireann says Storm Jocelyn will result in very difficult travelling conditions45,000 homes, businesses and farms are without power following Storm IshaThree people died in road crashes during Storm Isha

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The number of customers who are without power is now 45,000, after more than 190,000 had their electricity supply restored.

However, a spokesman for ESB Networks said progress on restoration may be hampered later on today due to Storm Jocelyn and associated orange and yellow level winds.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) is asking road users to exercise caution while using the roads on Tuesday, January 23rd, and Wednesday, January 24th, while the orange and yellow weather warnings are in place.

Road users in areas affected by the orange warning are advised to check local traffic and weather conditions before setting out on a journey.

The RSA said drivers need to slow down and allow a greater braking distance between themselves and the vehicle in front in wet weather conditions.

“This is especially important on high-speed roads such as dual carriageways and motorways where there is increased danger of aquaplaning,” the body said.

Motorists should take “special care” when driving behind goods vehicles, avoid flooded routes and obey signs closing roads to traffic.

Pedestrians should walk on the right-hand side of the road facing traffic if there are no footpaths.

People cycling should ensure that they and their bike are visible to other road users by investing in a good set of front and rear lights (white at the front, red at the back) and by wearing clothes that help you be seen on your bike. Consider wearing high-visibility material.

The RSA added road users should take extra care when crossing the road or cycling in extremely windy conditions, as a sudden gust of wind could blow you into the path of an oncoming vehicle.

Northern Editor Freya McClements writes:

In the North, the cleanup from Storm Isha is continuing while preparations for the arrival of Storm Jocelyn are under way.

Approximately 7,000 customers are still without electricity following Storm Isha, and Northern Ireland Electricity Networks said its teams are working “round the clock” to restore supply, while on the roads some obstructions, mainly caused by fallen trees and debris, remain to be cleared.

Community assistance centres will be opened in leisure centres in Newtownards, Craigavon, Cookstown, Ballymoney, Enniskillen, Lisburn and Omagh from 12 to 3pm on Tuesday for people who are still without electricity.

A Met Office yellow warning for wind has been issued for Northern Ireland from 4pm on Tuesday to 1pm on Wednesday.

The Department of Infrastructure has asked people to consider if their journey is necessary and to be aware that there is a high risk of fallen trees, branches or other debris on the road.

“It may be necessary to close some roads or put temporary restrictions in place,” it warned.

It also said monitoring of river levels and tidal surges is ongoing and will continue until the weather warnings have elapsed.

Met Éireann has changed some of the times at which the weather warnings will take effect.

The status orange wind warning for Galway and Mayo will take effect from 5pm on Tuesday and will remain in place until midnight on Wednesday.

In Donegal, the orange wind warning will come into place at 6pm on Tuesday and will remain in place until 2am on Wednesday.

The status yellow warning for Clare, Kerry, Galway and Mayo is in place from 10am on Tuesday until 2am on Wednesday; the yellow warning for Leinster, Cavan, Monaghan, Cork, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford and Roscommon runs from 2pm on Tuesday until 2am on Wednesday; while in Northern Ireland, the yellow warning for Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Derry runs from 4pm on Tuesday until 1pm on Wednesday.

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.

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. The Dark Hedges road is closed while the work continues.”

A man who died during a single-vehicle crash during Storm Isha has been named locally as Jimmy Rowe.

Mr Rowe, who was in his 40s, was pronounced dead at the scene after he drove into a flood on the N17 at Lisduff, Claremorris, Co Mayo.

His brother Albie paid tribute to him on Facebook. “Folks, with a heavy heart I bring you the heartbreaking news that our baby brother Jimmy Rowe has loss his life on the roads. Give your loved ones a hug you never know when it’s the last.. love u forever Jimmy.”

Mr Rowe is one of three people who died on Irish roads during the storm, with one person dying in Co Derry, while a woman in her 20s, who was a passenger in a van, dying in a collision early on Monday morning in Co Louth.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has warned road users over potentially dangerous conditions both during and after storms.

“When the extreme weather passes road users will still have to contend with potentially hazardous road conditions such as flooded roads and downed pylons, lines, trees, branches, and other debris which could block roads,” the body said.

“Obey any road closures or diversions put in place by Local Authorities and An Garda Síochána.”

Donegal County Council has said all main roads are now open in the county after a significant clean-up operation on Monday.

The operation will continue on Tuesday, according to the local authority’s director of Roads and Transportation, Bryan Cannon, who said there are still some back roads that may have not yet been cleared.

“We will be attending a meeting of the National Co-ordination Group this morning and then we’ll have our own local meeting following that just to ensure that that all of our services are prepared and ready,” he told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.

“But we’ll be continuing to work on the clean-up from Storm Isha this morning.”

Brian Tapley, senior engineer with ESB Networks, said crews will get a lot of work done in the early part of Tuesday before the Status Orange alerts come into effect but added the incoming storm will hamper restoration efforts.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, he said more crews are arriving to support efforts in the northwest but Donegal, Mayo, Leitrim, Cavan and Sligo remain the worst-affected areas.

“It’s [Storm Jocelyn] going to hamper efforts, and it’s probably going to produce new outages. So it’s going to make this a multi-day restoration effort,” he said. Mr Tapley urged members of the public to stay away from fallen trees and structures and to “treat everything as live”.

A total of 57,000 homes, businesses and farms are without power following Storm Isha, as the country prepares for the arrival of Storm Jocelyn.

More than 178,000 premises have had power restored by ESB Networks since Monday’s peak outages of over 235,000. Counties in the northwest of the country are worst affected by outages.

Joanna Donnelly, a forecaster with Met Éireann, said Tuesday will be a wet and windy day.

“There will be widespread rain during the morning and afternoon, followed by scattered showers. Highest temperatures of 11 to 14 degrees,” she said.

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

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

Storm Jocelyn follows in the path of Storm Isha, which brought severe winds to counties along the western seaboard on Sunday evening and Monday morning.

Three people died in road crashes across the island during Storm Isha while more than 200,000 properties were left without power.