Winds gusting up to 120 kph and serious sporadic flooding affected many parts of the country last night as stormy conditions prevailed throughout the night. Up to 50,000 households experienced power cuts in counties Kildare, Wexford and Westmeath.
In Dublin, areas such as Stillorgan, Cabinteely and Shankill were affected by power cuts. Significant tree falls were reported near the canal at Harcourt Street and Darmouth Square. Fallen trees on the Dart lines between Dalkey and Killiney and Dun Laoghaire and Glenageary caused serious disruption to scheduled services last night.
The Civil Defence had to deal with early flooding in Arklow, Co Wicklow, along the Avoca river and in some of the town's residential estates.
Along the N11 motorway near Ballylarkin crossroads in Co Wexford, a number of trees were knocked down following gale force winds, causing motorists to be diverted onto alternatives roads by gardaí.
In the west of Ireland, heavy rain caused flash flooding on a number of routes in Galway and Mayo including the N17, between Claregalway and Tuam, and on the N60 between Balla and Castlebar. Secondary routes throughout the province were also badly affected by the torrential conditions.
On the Dublin coast, a lone swimmer was rescued last night by the DúLaoghaire lifeboat in Killiney Bay after she encountered difficulties getting ashore in worsening weather conditions.
The alert was raised shortly after 7pm by a fellow swimmer via the Irish Coast Guard Service. Some 20 minutes later, the female swimmer was rescued by the lifeboat and brought ashore to a waiting ambulance.
Early yesterday, Cork City Council advised residents to take precautions to protect their property against flooding.
Localised flooding was expected in the low-lying areas of the city centre last night including South Terrace, Union Quay and Morrison's Island. A heavy tidal surge was forecast at the entrance to Cork Harbour, expected at around 10pm, with fallen trees on the outskirts of the city reported from early in the evening.
Last night's storm is expected to be replaced today with intermittent rain showers, sunny periods and moderate winds, with temperatures of 17-20 degrees. From tomorrow until Sunday, Met Éireann expects conditions to be warmer and less breezy with sunshine and showers each day.