Northern Ireland

Warnings of further power outages as Storm Jocelyn follows on the heels of Isha

Yellow weather warning in place until 1pm on Wednesday, with gusts of 65mph possible

Repairs being carried out to the powerlines outside North Belfast on Tuesday. All Counties where severely affected by Storm Isha on Sunday and Monday. A further yellow weather warning for wind begins at 16:00 GMT on Tuesday. PICTUERE: COLM LENAGHAN
Repairs being carried out to the powerlines outside North Belfast on Tuesday. PICTURE: COLM LENAGHAN (Colm Lenaghan)
By John Breslin

Strong winds across Northern Ireland on Tuesday hampered efforts to restore electricity to premises, with warnings of further outages as Storm Jocelyn swept across the island.

A yellow weather warning is in place until 1pm on Wednesday as the second storm in three days to hit, with winds of up to 65mph predicted.

Among the roads closed on Tuesday was the Old Stone Road between the A6 Belfast Road and Seven Mile Straight in Co Antrim, a main route to Belfast International Airport.

Storm Jocelyn was not expected to be as severe as Isha on Sunday and Monday but there were warnings of road closures due to fallen trees and possible further flooding.

Motorists battle threw the flooding outside North Belfast on Tuesday. All Counties where severely affected by Storm Isha on Sunday and Monday. A further yellow weather warning for wind begins at 16:00 GMT on Tuesday. PICTUERE: COLM LENAGHAN
Motorists battle threw the flooding outside North Belfast on Tuesday. PICTURE: COLM LENAGHAN (Colm Lenaghan)

NIE Networks had managed to restore electricity to approximately 48,000 premises as of Tuesday evening, with several thousand still without power. The company warned of possible further outages.

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In the Republic, 24,000 of the 221,000 customers who lost power during Storm Isha remained without supply on Tuesday evening, mostly in the north west. A further 14,000 customers lost supply during Tuesday due to Storm Jocelyn.

Flights into Dublin Airport were diverted to Belfast and Manchester while several in and out were cancelled.

Homes were seriously damaged and went on fire following a lightning strike on Monday in Donegal.

Debbie Nesbitt and her children, aged nine, 13 and 15, were in the downstairs of their home in Newtowncunningham, Co Donegal. They were playing a board game as the electricity was out due to Isha.

“I ran outside to see what was happening, the roof was already in flames,” Debbie told BBC News NI. Her home was one of four properties hit by lightning during a thunderstorm, with at least one other set alight.

“I just heard this almighty noise that I can only describe as a bomb hitting my roof of the house.”

Approximately 4,500 premises were without electricity on Tuesday but NIE Networks warned of further power cuts amid the strong winds, particularly on the north and east coasts areas.

PACEMAKER BELFAST 21/01/2024 Lisnataylor road in Antrim is blocked by a fallen tree this evening. More than 45,000 homes without power in Northern Ireland More than 45,000 households in Northern Ireland are without power after strong winds caused damage to the electricity network. Northern Ireland Electricity Networks said 45,500 customers are without power and the figure could rise as the storm progresses. Damage includes broken overhead power lines, fallen trees across lines and broken poles. Nie Networks said it is working to restore power, but many households affected will remain without supply overnight Photo Stephen Davison/Pacemaker Press
Agencies were still clearing up on Tuesday as Storm Jocelyn moved in. Picture by Stephen Davison/Pacemaker Press

Randal Gilbert, of NIE Networks, said: “NIE Networks will continue working to restore supplies where it is safe to do so and will assess any damage caused by Storm Jocelyn over the course of the evening.”

In a statement, the Met Office said: “Gusts of 55-56mph are fairly typical for a winter storm across these areas, but following the impacts caused by Storm Isha resilience is expected to be lower and it may hamper any ongoing recovery and repair efforts.” Gusts up to 65mph are expected in some areas.

On Tuesday evening, the strongest gusts were measured at the weather stations at Castlederg (59mph), Killowen (55mph) and Magilligan (54mph).

Belfast City and International airports advised those planning to fly to check with their airlines due to the possibility of cancellations.

The Superfast VIII 7.30pm departure to Scotland was cancelled alongside the 11.30pm departure. Stena Line said the decision was “based on current weather forecasts”.

Several agencies and departments, including the PSNI, NIE and emergency services, were involved in dealing with the aftermath of the first storm and preparing for the second, the Department for Infrastructure said.

“All of these agencies have been working round the clock to clear roads and restore electricity as well as to deliver other vital public services in very challenging conditions,” the department spokesperson said.

“The advice is to consider if your journey is necessary and to be aware there is a high risk of fallen trees, branches or other debris on the road.

“Ongoing industrial action may disrupt the department’s response to the clear up operation however we will endeavour to clear roads as quickly as possible.”

The main Belfast to Downpatrick was closed for a time between Carryduff and Saintfield due to fallen trees and a badly damaged electrical pole. .

Other road closures on Tuesday evening included the Foyle Bridge in Derry to high sided vehicles due to winds and King Street in Newcastle because of a fallen tree. The A23 Ballygowan Road at Moneyreagh in Co Down was also closed.

Storm Jocelyn is named after Northern Ireland astrophysicist Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell.