Death of woman in Galway comes as strong winds and heavy rain lash
UK and
IrelandA woman has died after
Storm Ali began to make itself felt with winds of up to 90mph across Ireland and parts of Scotland and England, as the first named storm of the season arrived in time for the morning rush-hour.
Irish police confirmed the woman died after a caravan was blown off a cliff in the west of Ireland. They said: “Gardaí at Clifden, County Galway, are investigating an incident which occurred at Claddaghduff, County Galway, this morning.
“At approximately 7.45am, a report was received that a caravan had blown off the cliff at the above location. A search was carried out at the scene on the beach and after a short time the body of a female in her 50s was recovered.”
About 55,000 homes and businesses, mainly in the south-west of Ireland, had been left without power due to the weather, the Electricity Supply Board said.
The storm caused widespread traffic disruption across Scotland, affecting rail, roads and ferry services . The Met Office updated its amber weather warning of wind and said there was a strong likelihood it would affect swathes of the UK.
The weather alert, which would be in place until 6pm, warned flying debris could lead to injuries or pose a danger to life. There was also potential for damage to buildings, fallen trees, travel cancellations, more road closures and large waves in coastal areas.
The warning covers the southern half of Scotland and the north-east coast.
A less severe yellow warning for wind predicted severe weather throughout Scotland until Wednesday night.
A cruise ship became detached from its moorings in strong winds at the port of Greenock, Inverclyde. Oceania Cruises said: “This afternoon, the … Nautica encountered extremely strong winds, which resulted in the parting of mooring lines and the vessel being detached from the dock. All guests and crew onboard are safe and there were no injuries.”
Vehicles and pedestrians were stopped from using the Forth Road Bridge, while the Queensferry Crossing was shut to high-sided vehicles and double-decker buses. Restrictions were also put in place on Skye Bridge.
At about 10am, part of the A75 in Dumfries and Galloway, near the Collin bypass, was blocked for about an hour due to a fallen tree. Dumfries and Galloway Virtual Operations Support Team said similar incidents had occurred across the region.
The Highland mainline was shut by rail operators after a freight train was derailed during high winds. At 1.40am, a northbound service left the track after hitting tree branches near Culloden. No trains were in operation between Inverness and Perth, but ScotRail said the line was likely to reopen in the early afternoon.
Mark Wilson, a Met Office meteorologist, said: “Storm Ali is already bringing some pretty heavy rain across Northern Ireland and south-west Scotland and is just starting to creep into north-west England. In terms of wind strength, the speeds are coming up, with gusts of just over 60mph in the west of Ireland.”
The north was forecast to be worst affected, though areas outside the official weather warnings were unlikely to escape wet and windy conditions.
While southern parts of England and Wales could reach continued unseasonable highs of up to 24C (75F), Wilson said it would feel cooler due to the strong winds. The unsettled weather was forecast to remain for the rest of the week, but conditions were expected to improve early next week.
Ali is first on the storm names list for 2018-19 announced by the Met Office and Met Éireann, which have run the Name Our Storms scheme for four years. The names were chosen from submissions by the public to reflect the culture and diversity of the UK and Ireland.