Storm Aidan hit Donegal this morning and this afternoon with the strongest winds from the storm recorded in the counite after midday as predicted yesterday.

Nearly 2000 home have also been left without power across Donegal due to the weather system.

The Sligo-based coastguard helicopter has brought ESB workers out to Tory Island, off the Co Donegal coast, to deal with power outages there.

As storm Aiden moved northwards up along the west and northwest coast this morning it was undergoing Rapid Cyclogenesis which is when a fast and intensive development of an extratropical cyclone (mid-latitude cyclone). The criterion of rapid development is the rate of central sea-level pressure's deepening being greater than or equal to 1 hPa per hour, generally over a period of 12 hours or longer.

66 ESB customers in the Portnoo, 685 in Derrybeg, 191 in Malin Head, 48 in Milford all are without power this afternoon with other scattered power outages also report this morning across coastal area of west and north Donegal.

Thousands of homes and businesses around the country are without power due to Storm Aiden, Another Yellow wind warning is now in place for Donegal, Mayo and Galway with a yellow wind warning for yellow wind warning in place for  Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Tyrone, & Derry until 9pm tonight.

More than 4,000 premises are without power, with over 1,300 premises hit in Manorhamilton, Co Leitrim and 1,200 premises in the Carndonagh area of Donegal also affected earlier.

Around 3,000 customers were affected by earlier outages in Kilkee, Co Clare and Carrigaline, Co Cork, with ESB Networks saying power has been restored to most of these..

Mayo County Council has closed the R313 road between Blacksod and Belmullet at Bunduaile due to the high risk of flooding from waves overtopping the seawall.

The storm has left around ten seal pups stranded along the Erris coastal region.

Gardaí are this morning appealing to people to avoid all unnecessary travel and take extreme care as the storm tracks across the country.

The strongest winds where recorded at Malin head in Donegal with winds there gusting up to 130km/hr both at 1pm and 2pm this afternoon as the center of storm Aiden and the stronger wind core passed just to the northwest of Donegal. A mean 10 minute wind speed of 93km/hr was also recorded at Malin head which is in the Red warning Criteria.

A Status Red marine warning for violent storm force winds is currently in places for coastal waters

Status Red - Gale Warning

1) West to southwest winds will reach gale force 8 or strong gale force 9 today (Saturday) on Irish coastal waters from Loop Head to Malin Head to Carlingford Lough and the north Irish Sea. Storm force 10 winds will occur from Slyne Head to Rossan Point to Fair Head. Possibly reaching violent storm force 11 between Erris Head to Bloody Foreland to Fair Head.

2) Southerly winds veering westerly will reach gale force 8 or higher tonight (Saturday night) on all Irish coastal water and the Irish Sea, becoming confined to northwestern sea areas tomorrow (Sunday).

Issued: 12:00 Saturday 31/10/2020

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