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Northern Ireland hit by high winds and heavy rain as Storm Debi blows in

The Met Office said the storm would track across the region, with gusts of around 65mph expected through Co Antrim and Co Down.

Claudia Savage
Monday 13 November 2023 15:04 GMT
Cars struggled through flood water on roads surrounding Cookstown in Co Tyrone (Claudia Savage/PA)
Cars struggled through flood water on roads surrounding Cookstown in Co Tyrone (Claudia Savage/PA) (PA Wire)

High winds and rain from Storm Debi have caused road closures and disruption to public transport across Northern Ireland.

Amber and yellow weather warnings for rain and wind were in place for counties Down and Armagh on Monday morning, and police urged people to stay at home.

On Monday afternoon, police said the Portaferry Road, between Newtownards and Portaferry, was currently closed due to flooding.

Public transport agency Translink warned of delays to a number of services.

One of the highest gusts recorded on Monday morning was a wind speed of 74mph at Killowen in Co Down.

NIE Networks said about 2,000 customers were without power, mainly around Craigavon, Newry and Downpatrick.

A number of roads were closed in the Ballymena area due to fallen trees and the Department for Infrastructure said there were reports of a landslip on the A2 Shore Road in Glenarm.

Cars struggled through floodwater on roads surrounding Cookstown in Co Tyrone, while SDLP councillor Malachy Quinn said a woman in Coalisland had lifted her child over her head as floodwater impacted the King’s Row area.

The PSNI also warned of floods in South Belfast.

Downpatrick in Co Down was badly affected by flooding in recent weeks, with many businesses under several feet of water after the nearby River Quoile burst its banks.

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council said the A22 Killyleagh Road in Downpatrick had been closed at Quoile Bridge and that traffic was being diverted.

There were local reports of damage at the Quoile Bridge due to the amount of pressure it had been under with high water levels.

The canal in Newry, one of the areas worst affected by recent flooding, remained at a high level.

A number of businesses in the town had not yet reopened after significant water damage.

The Department of Infrastructure warned drivers to take care, saying fallen branches posed a risk on roads.

Flooding, heavy winds and fallen trees as a result of Storm Debi also caused significant disruption across the Republic of Ireland, with more than 100,000 homes and businesses without electricity at the peak of outages on Monday morning.

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