Thousands of homes without power as Storm Isha hits Ireland; tornado warnings in western UK
- Research organisation Torro said Ireland, Northern Ireland, parts of Scotland and northern England were ‘tornado watch’ zones
- People are being urged to heed warnings and not to travel unless necessary in red-warning areas
Thousands of homes in Ireland have been left without power and airport activity has been disrupted because of Storm Isha as severe weather warnings kick in across the UK and Ireland.
The UK’s Met Office said a tornado could hit western parts of the UK after the research organisation Torro said Ireland, Northern Ireland, parts of Scotland and northern England were “tornado watch” zones.
People are being urged to heed warnings and not to travel unless necessary in red-warning areas.
Status red wind warnings have been issued for Irish counties Donegal, Galway and Mayo, while status orange/amber warnings are in place for all other counties on the island from this evening.
Met Eireann said “extremely strong” winds and “destructive gusts” are expected in the red warning areas, particularly along coastal and exposed areas.
Paul Rock, who chaired a meeting of the National Emergency Co-ordination on Sunday morning to organise the Irish government’s response, said it is a “particularly nasty” storm.
“We don’t want anyone dying as a result of this storm,” he told RTE Radio.
Rock asked people to avoid coastal areas during the Met Eireann warnings and for all road users to be aware of hazardous conditions, including debris, and urged people not to touch fallen electricity wires.