(London) The passing of the storm Isha caused one death in Scotland, an octogenarian whose car hit a fallen tree, while tens of thousands of homes were deprived of electricity in Ireland and the United Kingdom.
Police Scotland appealed for witnesses on Monday after an 84-year-old motorist died following a collision with a fallen tree near Edinburgh on Sunday evening.
In Ireland, more than 235,000 homes and businesses were without electricity on Monday morning, particularly in the northwest, according to the network manager, ESB, cited by Irish public media RTE.
A network manager, Brian Tapley, explained to RTE that power restoration should occur during the day, but could take several days for some customers.
According to RTE, around 150 flights – or 25% of traffic – were canceled at Dublin Airport on Sunday, but traffic was able to resume on Monday morning.
In Northern Ireland, 45,000 customers are without power, according to the network manager.
PHOTO LIAM MCBURNEY, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Belfast in Ireland, January 21, 2024
Trees with impressive twisting branches on the Dark Hedges Road, made famous by the series Games of Thrones were also damaged and three of them grounded by the storm, according to a site manager.
Across Britain, more than 30,000 customers are without electricity, mainly in the north, Lawrence Slade, director general of the Energy Network association, explained on the BBC on Monday morning.
“One of the worrying aspects of this storm is that it hit almost the whole country,” leading to difficulties in sending technicians across Britain to carry out the work, he said.
A red alert for strong winds was issued overnight in Scotland, where no trains were running Monday morning due to trees falling on the tracks and flooding. Traffic is expected to resume at midday.
“Hundreds of technicians are already outside, armed with chainsaws,” said a spokesperson for the Network Rail network.
Dozens of schools have also been closed in Scotland.
According to the Met Office, the British weather agency, winds of up to 160 km/h were recorded in the north-east of England.
Isha is the ninth storm named since September.
After Ishastorm Jocelyn is expected to bring with it rain and strong winds to Ireland and the United Kingdom on Tuesday and Wednesday.