Nearly 9,000 homes and businesses were without power on Monday evening, after Storm Franklin hit the island of Ireland.
Across the State, some 8,600 customers were without power on Monday evening, while in Northern Ireland the figure had fallen to 350 from a high of around 10,000.
The damage and disruption was a result of the third storm to pass over the island in recent days, after Storm Dudley and Storm Eunice wreaked havoc.
This latest storm brought coastal flooding and fallen trees to parts of the island once again, with the north and north-west worst affected.
Met Éireann said gusts of more than 130kph were recorded in Co Galway and Co Donegal.
Very windy with some severe gusts, but easing through the morning while scattered showers in the NE gradually die out 💨⚠️
By late morning it will be dry & bright for most but cloud will extend into the west this afternoon, followed by outbreaks of rain 🌦️
Highs of 7 to 11°C 🌡️ pic.twitter.com/2HRApJXPCe— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) February 21, 2022
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Status orange wind warnings issued for parts of the north and north-west lifted early on Monday, while a yellow wind warning for the entirety of the State expired at 9am.
A yellow wind warning for the counties of Wicklow and Wexford had also been issued, as the storm passed over the island.
❗️TREE DOWN ❗️on the road behind Cloonamahan. Our outdoor crew are en route to remove.#StormFranklin #StaySafe @OceanFmIreland @aaroadwatch pic.twitter.com/FKFEZmfVgV
— Sligo County Council (@sligococo) February 21, 2022
A spokesperson for ESB said that the majority of people in Ireland will have power restored by Monday evening.
However, it was expected that some people in the north-west could remain without power into Tuesday.
Apologies to 29,100 customers who are without power following #StormFranklin. Our crews are working to repair the damage and reconnect customers. To report an outage or check estimated restoration times see https://t.co/EU6R9nRfwR. pic.twitter.com/RW0k3N0wec
— ESB Networks (@ESBNetworks) February 21, 2022
Storm Franklin arrived as parts of the country were still clearing up after Storm Eunice.
Brian Tapley, from ESB, warned on Monday that his company’s technicians had been working for three to four days and that there were worries about “fatigue”.
Precautions had been put in place, with Sligo County Council making the decision in advance to close certain coastal roads, as well as the popular Strandhill promenade, due to fears of flooding at high tide.
Council staff in Sligo and elsewhere were still working on Monday evening to clear debris and reopen blocked roads.
Met Éireann has warned that the poor conditions will not disappear this week, with the weather set to remain “unsettled”.
The national forecaster has said that some parts of the country could see snow later this week.
