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Power restored to homes after Storm Dave disruption

Pacemaker A flooded country road with standing water and nearby river overflowing into surrounding trees.Pacemaker
Motorists had been warned about possible disruption to travel and flooding ahead of the arrival of Storm Dave

Around 2,000 homes were left without power in Northern Ireland on Saturday after Storm Dave brought high winds.

NIE's powercheck indicated that areas including Newtownhamilton in County Armagh and Seaforde in County Down were among the worst impacted.

Engineers worked throughout the storm and the majority of homes had their power restored.

The yellow weather warning began at 14:00 BST on Saturday and ended at 03:00 BST on Sunday.

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Ahead of the storm, the Met Office had warned of possible damage, power cuts and disruption to travel.

Road users were advised by police to avoid the Dunluce Road in Bushmills after a telegraph pole fell obstructing it.

Some council facilities closed on Saturday with the public being advised to stay clear of forests, country parks, and nature reserves until the storm ended.

Paul Moane Strong winds throw waves over a white car that has red break lights.Paul Moane
The County Down coast during Storm Dave

A number of councils announced the closure of public facilities and parks.

The Maritime and Coast Guard agency also issued advice, including to stay well back from cliff edges and avoid walking near the base of cliffs.

Some ferry sailings between Belfast and Scotland on Saturday were also cancelled.

Winds gusted close to 70 mph were recorded at the peak of the storm.

The strongest, at 66.7mph, was recorded at Killowen in County Down, while 65.6mph gusts reached Thomastown in County Fermanagh.

Pacemaker A stormy seaside promenade with rough waves, grey sky, and a distant castle in the rain.Pacemaker
Storm Dave comes after Storm Chandra, which saw high winds and heavy flooding in January

Around 18,000 homes, farms and businesses across the Republic of Ireland were without power as a result of Storm Dave.

In an update at 08:00 local time on Sunday, ESB Networks said around 4,500 of those remain without power.

Crews are working in impacted areas and responding to power outages where it was safe to do so.

The yellow weather warning issued by the Irish weather service, Met Éireann began at 13:00 local time and was in place until 02:00 on Sunday.

'Challenging wind conditions'

Storm Dave also impacted travel in the Republic of Ireland with 17 flights cancelled at Dublin Airport.

Posting on X, the airport said there had "also been 53 go arounds and 13 diversions due to challenging wind conditions, with gusts reaching up to 44 knots".

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Dublin Airport warned there could be some disruption to flights on Sunday as a result of aircraft and crews being displaced on Saturday.

It also shared a video of a plane landing in rocky conditions during Storm Dave.

The airport is advising passengers due to fly later on Saturday evening or on Sunday morning to contact their airline directly for updates.

Storm Dave is the fourth named weather system of the year in the UK, after Storm Amy in October, Storm Bram in December and Storm Chandra in January.