Power outages reported across Ireland after Storm Claudia

By Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA

Power outages were reported across the country and flooding hit some areas after Storm Claudia hit the island of Ireland.

Thousands of homes and businesses were without power Saturday morning as rain warnings were lifted in the southeast.

Dramatic flooding has been reported in Portarlington, on the border of counties Laois and Offaly, although no rain warnings have been issued for these counties.

Fallen trees have blocked roads in parts of the country, and videos on social media appear to show sea foam being thrown spectacularly onto the shores of Loughshinny, Dublin and Bray, Co Wicklow.

The ESB said fewer than 5,000 homes, farms and businesses were without power as of 9 a.m. and crews had been responding to outages since Friday.

A spokesperson said the storm had a “modest impact” on power infrastructure, in line with previous wind warnings of this type.

A status orange rain warning was in place for counties Dublin, Wexford and Wicklow until 8am on Saturday, while a status yellow rain warning was in place for 10 other counties, mainly along the east and south coasts, until 9am.

Met Éireann has warned people to be vigilant for “significant” flooding and dangerous travel conditions.

Keith Leonard, state director of fire and emergency management, said local authorities had been preparing for heavy rain since Thursday.

He said a flood risk would persist after weather warnings were lifted as water levels could rise further, and that fallen leaves blocking pipes were a “complicating factor”.

Stena Line said some ferry services on Friday were canceled due to adverse weather conditions.

In Northern Ireland, a yellow level rain warning is in force for counties Armagh and Down until midday Saturday, bringing a risk of flooding and dangerous travel conditions.