More than 3,700 households in Clare are without power this morning after Storm Barra descended on the county last night.
Gusts of up to 113 kilometres per hour were recorded at Met Éireann’s Shannon station during a red weather alert, which came to an end at 1 o’clock this morning.
A yellow alert is now in place, with winds of up to 65 kilometres per hour and gusts of up to 110 kilometres per hour forecast up until 6 o’clock this evening.
Met Éireann is also warning that heavy rain will also bring risks of surface flooding and, due to a combination of high waves, storm surge and high tide, coastal flooding is expected.
While schools here will close for a second day, some services are to resume, as Clare FM’s Josh Prenderville reports.
Storm Barra made a particular impact in the west of the county last night, with Kilrush Gardai understood to have been ‘inundated’ with calls about debris and fallen power lines in the area.
Around 3,720 homes are without power in areas such as Kilkee, Kilrush, Quilty, Kilmihil, Cross, Kilbaha and Miltown Malbay.
Areas in the North of the county and a small number of homes around Ennis are also impacted.
ESB crews are working on restoring power with lights set to flicker on again in impacted areas from 4pm today, though some households may have to wait until as late as 10pm this evening to be reconnected to electricity.
Schools across the Banner are to remain closed today following advice from the Department of Education issued last evening.
TUS’ campus on Bindon Street in Ennis will also stay closed today, as do its Moylish and LSAD campuses.
Covid-19 testing is set to recommence in Clare today however, with people who were due to tested in Ballymaley yesterday to be contacted via text message and offered new times for their tests today.
