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As it happenedended

Storm Callum: Thousands in Ireland without power as heavy winds hit Scotland

Teams scrambling to restore power to 10,000 properties in Ireland 

Zamira Rahim
Friday 12 October 2018 03:10 EDT
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Waves crash against harbour walls as Storm Callum hits Ireland

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Storm Callum swept across Ireland on Friday leaving thousands of homes and businesses without electricity.

More than 60,000 properties in the country were left without power at one point in the early hours.

ESB Networks, the operator, said that teams were working to restore power to the last 10,000 homes and businesses by Friday evening.

Around 1,000 homes and businesses in Northern Ireland also lost power.

The storm also brought heavy rain and strong winds to Scotland and parts of England.

Heavy rain caused secondary landslips in Argyll and Bute, where 300 tonnes of debris fell on to the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful.

The key road will remain closed for the weekend and motorists will be forced to take diversions of nearly 60 miles due to the closure.

"The landslides at the Rest and Be Thankful this week have been some of the most challenging in recent memory both for the community and for the teams working in difficult conditions," said Michael Matheson. the Scottish Transport Secretary.

Flights were cancelled throughout Friday from Dublin, Belfast and Exeter airports.

Yellow Met Office warnings for Scotland remain in place for wind and rain in the Highlands and Islands and Strathclyde areas throughout Friday.

"The wind gusts will approach 40-50 mph across western parts of Scotland, Wales, western England and Northern Ireland," said Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern.

"Accompanying high tides will be big waves and we could see coastal impacts from those and inland impacts from those strong winds as well."

"Later in the day as the deep low approaches north-west Scotland there is the risk of 70 mph gusts for exposed parts."

"The rain is also of concern with a lot of it to come through 36 hours over Friday and Saturday, especially for western parts of England, south-west Scotland and Wales."

If you want to read how Storm Callum progressed across the UK live, please see what was our live coverage below.

Four severe flood warnings and 28 flood alerts across the south coast of England have been issued by the Environment Agency as heavy rain continues to fall.

matt.payton112 October 2018 11:48

Storm Callum's heaviest rainfall is likely to be in south Wales. 

Parts of the country could see up to 200 mm of rain by Sunday, a Met Office spokesperson said. 

Natural Resources Wales has issued five flood alerts for the south coast of the country. 

matt.payton112 October 2018 12:00

An orange weather alert remains in place in Ireland for counties Donegal, Galway, Mayo and Sligo, but forecaster Met Eireann has lifted the warning for the rest of the country.

matt.payton112 October 2018 12:07

Travel chaos is continuing across the UK, with flights cancelled at Cardiff, Dublin, Belfast and Exeter airports.

matt.payton112 October 2018 12:13

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is urging members of the public to keep away from exposed areas including cliffs and piers.

matt.payton112 October 2018 12:19

Part of the A465 in Wales has been closed in both directions between the Rhigos and Hirwaun roundabouts due to flooding. 

matt.payton112 October 2018 12:24

Approximately 60,000 households in Ireland lost power "at one point" due to Storm Callum, according to the country's National Emergency Coordination Group. Work is underway to restore electricity to all affected properties.

matt.payton112 October 2018 12:37

Devon County Council has urged members of the public to avoid certain roads due to heavy flooding and a number of fallen trees. 

matt.payton112 October 2018 12:54

Wales may be hit by a month's worth of rain by Sunday, according to the Met Office. 

Some high areas could see up to 200 mm of rain by the end of the weekend. 

The monthly total of rain for the region is 169 mm. 

matt.payton112 October 2018 13:05

Watch our coverage of the travel chaos caused by the storm here: 

matt.payton112 October 2018 14:01

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