United Kingdom (Commonwealth Union)_The UK is set to be battered by a 10th storm in just five months in the wake of Storm Isha, which left two people dead and thousands without power following gusts of up to 107mph on Monday.
Storm Jocelyn latest and 10th named storm of the season, has arrived – and is already affecting western parts of the UK, the Met Office has said. Today is expected to be a wet day – before wind speeds start to pick up towards the evening, with all trains in Scotland to be shut down.
Severe and damaging winds will bear down on certain parts of the country, as Storm Jocelyn is to become the second named storm to hit Ireland in three days.
Met Éireann said that the impacts of winds associated with Storm Jocelyn could be “exacerbated” by how close it is coming on the heels of Storm Isha.
Over 90,000 homes and businesses remain without power and ESB Networks warned that it will be Thursday before some homes are reconnected to the grid.
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The national forecaster has issued an organge wind warning for Donegal that will come into force from 6 pm this evening and remain in place until 2 am tomorrow. A further orange warning is in place for Galway and Mayo from 6 pm this evening until midnight. The rest of the country will be subject to a yellow weather warning, beginning at midday on the west coast and at 5 pm for the remainder of Ireland.
This yellow warning will last until 2 am in all but three counties; Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo, where it will remain in place until 5 am tomorrow.
All counties are facing difficult travelling conditions caused by strong and gusty winds throughout today and tomorrow, along with the potential for debris and the displacement of loose objects.
It comes in the wake of Storm Isha, that left more than 253,000 homes without power. Clean-ups are ongoing across the country to clear roads, reconnect water and electricity supplies and repair roofs before Jocelyn takes hold later today.
There were gusts of more than 130kmh at three west-coast locations – Belmullet, Mace Head and Finner, and 128kmh at Malin Head during Storm Isha on Sunday.
Aoife Kealy, Met Éireann forecaster said “We are looking at very strong southwesterly winds developing across the country through Tuesday and particularly in the west and north-west,”.
He said there will be some severe and damaging gusts there as Storm Jocelyn passes by from 6pm to midnight or so and it will be very windy again with widespread rain across the country for most of the day.
Since there is a nationwide yellow wind warning, you could expect those strong winds to bring difficult travelling conditions, large coastal waves and some possible power outages and fallen trees, particularly because Storm Isha has just cleared through.
The forecaster has warned that potential affects could include very difficult travelling conditions, damage to power lines and already weakened structures, fallen trees, and large coastal waves.
Uisce Éireann confirmed yesterday that 35,000 customers remained without water.
Iarnród Éireann services operated as normal, but strict speed restrictions were imposed as a safety precaution, with a number of service delays expected as a result.
Bus Éireann suspended its routes in Galway, Donegal and Mayo during the red warning periods on Sunday, with all public transport resuming as normal yesterday morning.
Flights were cancelled throughout Sunday and last morning, with multiple flights diverted to the UK and to mainland Europe during the worst of Storm Isha’s winds.
Both gardaí and the Road Safety Authority appealed to motorists to drive carefully in the wake of Storm Isha given the threat posed by spot flooding and storm debris on roads.
The UK Met Office has warned counties in Northern Ireland of strong winds expected during Storm Jocelyn, which could lead to possible disruption to travel as well as utilities between 4 pm today and 1 pm tomorrow.
Weather experts have warned that storms are likely to become more frequent in the UK in the future, with rising sea levels, amid climate change, set to increase the impact of high waves in coastal areas.
