storm
Storm “Isha” is sweeping across the British Isles
High waves in Blackpool. photo
© Danny Lawson/PA Wire/dpa
Fallen trees, power outages, disruptions to rail traffic and airports: a storm over Great Britain and Ireland brings traffic chaos and damage.
A storm hit Great Britain on Monday night Ireland caused severe traffic disruptions and caused extensive damage. A man in Scotland died when the car he was a passenger in collided with a fallen tree, police said.
Storm “Isha” swept across the British Isles with wind speeds of up to 140 kilometers per hour. The British weather service Met Office issued storm warnings for the entire country. A red weather warning was even in effect for parts of Scotland in the early hours of the morning, warning of danger to life from flying debris.
Roads closed, rail traffic paralyzed
In Scotland and northern England, several motorways, bridges and other roads had to be closed due to fallen trees. Train traffic was also significantly restricted, especially in Scotland. The Scottish railway company ScotRail canceled all services on Monday morning. It was expected that rail traffic in Scotland would remain paralyzed until midday.
Many rail routes in England and Wales were also affected by delays and cancellations. Some flights to British and Irish airports had to be diverted, some to France. A flight that was headed to Edinburgh was even said to have been diverted to Cologne, the BBC reported. Dozens of flights were completely canceled. Ferry connections were also partly canceled or delayed.
In Ireland, 235,000 households were cut off from power on Monday, according to Irish broadcaster RTÉ, as the energy company ESB Networks announced. In Northern Ireland, more than 45,000 households were affected at times.