Weather similar to the St Stephen's Day storm, which caused the deaths of two men and has left 60,000 homes still without electricity, has the potential to return tomorrow, Met Eireann warned last night.
Hurricane-force gusts were recorded in Donegal on Saturday as violent storm-force 11 gales hit the midlands, the north and northwest, where power failures continue. Falling trees killed two men in their 20s in separate accidents at Maam Valley in Co Galway, and Comber, Co Down.
A third man died after he fell from a ladder while repairing a storm-damaged roof in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, yesterday afternoon. The 29-year-old man received head injuries in the fall and died later in Letterkenny General Hospital. A 35-year-old man, who was also working on the roof of a house at Carolina Park on the outskirts of the town, was also seriously injured.
Last night the Met Eireann said that while it did not expect the winds predicted for tomorrow to be as severe as those which hit on St Stephen's Day, "they do have the potential to be as bad". The service has also warned of more snow and icy conditions, which are expected to hamper the work of crews restoring power and telephone lines.
At Malin Head, Co Donegal, gusts of up to 109 m.p.h. were recorded on Saturday, while the lowest wind speed was 64 m.p.h., recorded at Rosslare in Co Wexford. The winds, which were the most powerful to hit this island since the arrival of Hurricane Debbie in 1961, brought down power and telephone lines, ripped roofs off buildings and caused severe conditions in ports.
As ESB workers restored power to 100,000 homes in Meath, Cavan, Monaghan, Leitrim, Donegal, Galway and parts of Mayo last night, their work was made harder by falling snow. A spokesman said he expected some 60,000 homes to be still without power by this morning.
Up to 1,000 telephone subscribers were also cut off by the storm, with "a few hundred remaining to be reconnected today", according to a spokesman. Last night AA Roadwatch warned drivers to avoid travelling in the areas affected, especially in counties Leitrim, Sligo and Donegal, because of snowfalls and wind-blown debris.
Racing at Down Royal in Northern Ireland was called off on St Stephen's Day after the second race because of the adverse conditions, while the entire four-day race meeting at Limerick was called off.
In Ballyshannon, Co Donegal, the roof was blown off a new extension to the Imperial Hotel while severe damage was caused to the Magee shop at the Diamond in Donegal Town. Gardai closed streets in both towns because of danger from flying slates.
A car parked on the outskirts of Ballina, Co Mayo, was lifted by the winds and travelled several yards to the garden of a nearby house. In Killybegs, Co Donegal, and other coastal areas, property was damaged by unusually high waves.
The Irish Insurance Federation (IIF) has issued a notice in today's newspapers advising householders and other property-owners on what to do if their property has been damaged.
The IIF has also published insurance companies' emergency telephone numbers. However, a spokeswoman said it would be several weeks before the extent and the value of claims would become known.
Commenting on the prospect of further adverse weather conditions last night, a Met Eireann spokesman said "a dusting of snow" was expected over counties in the midlands and north-west.
"There is already snow lying on high ground and in the hills and we are expecting a severe frost inland. Tuesday is predicted to be very windy, with gales developing again. There is the potential for stormy weather in strong southerly gales. While we don't expect that it will be as bad as Saturday, the potential is there," he said.
The spokesman also said that in terms of damage, this year's winds, although stronger than those which occurred at Christmas last year, had not been as severe.