A woman has died after the caravan she was in was blown off a cliff in Storm Ali which has brought gusts of 91mph.
The first named storm of the season brought high winds to the west of Ireland where the caravan was blown onto a beach at Claddaghduff, near Clifden in Co Galway, on Wednesday morning.
Irish forecaster Met Eireann said the strongest gusts in the hour leading up to 10am reached speeds of 120km/h (74.5mph) at Mace Head in County Galway, 98km/h (60.9mph) at Dublin Airport and 107km/h (66.5mph) at Shannon.
The Met Office said gusts of 91mph hit Killowen in County Down, 77mph winds were recorded in Kirkcudbrightshire in Scotland, 74mph gusts hit Capel Curig in Wales and 68mph was recorded in St Bees Head, Cumbria, England.
Strongest gusts in the hour leading up to 10 am in km/h for some of our stations:
Mace Head 120Shannon 107Casement 100Dublin Airport 98Cork Airport 87Knock Airport and Gurteen 83Malin Head 81Finner and Oak Park 80Mount Dillon and Athenry 76
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) September 19, 2018
As Ali rolled in on Wednesday the Met Office updated its amber weather warning of wind, saying there is a high likelihood of impacts across a swathe of the UK.
Travel disruption, power cuts and flying debris are possible as the storm sweeps through, with severe gales and heavy rain forecast for a large part of the UK.
The weather alert, which is in place until Wednesday evening, warns that flying debris is likely and could lead to injuries or danger to life.
A less severe yellow warning for wind is in place until Wednesday night.
Traffic Scotland said the Forth Road Bridge is closed to all vehicles and pedestrians.
❗NEW❗ 11:58⌚#A9000 Forth Road Bridge – ⛔CLOSED⛔ completely to all vehicles & pedestrians. #M90 Queensferry Crossing restriction free at the moment. @TheForthBridges
— Traffic Scotland (@trafficscotland) September 19, 2018
ScotRail said the storm was causing disruption to services, tweeting: “We’ve got a tree blocking tracks at #DumbartonCentral which has damaged overhead wires, and also reports of overhead wire damage at #Partick. We’ll provide an update as soon as we can.”
⚠️#StormAli is now causing disruption to our services.
We’ve got a tree blocking tracks at #DumbartonCentral which has damaged overhead wires, and also reports of overhead wire damage at #Partick. We’ll provide an update as soon as we can. @NetworkRailScot ^CT
— ScotRail (@ScotRail) September 19, 2018
Dublin Airport said the storm would have an impact on its schedule and warned of cancellations.
High winds due to #StormAli will have an impact on the flight schedule today. Some flights already cancelled. Please check with your airline before coming to the airport. Departures info here https://t.co/2bD7lEWGaJ. Arrivals info here https://t.co/ckiUMjBwFf. pic.twitter.com/bPgNBTFqAv
— Dublin Airport (@DublinAirport) September 19, 2018
Gale-force gusts began to be recorded on the Galway coast as heavy rain moved in.
Forecasters in Ireland issued a Status Orange wind warning for more than half the country due to the storm.
3 cars damaged by falling trees Stillorgan Park Road near N11. Thankfully given its #ProjectEDWARD day, no injuries. 1 ? from Dun Laoghaire station on scene #StormAli pic.twitter.com/xgqd0pBUAL
— Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) September 19, 2018
The worst of Ali’s weather is forecast to be in the north, although areas outside the official weather warnings are unlikely to escape wet and windy conditions.
While southern parts of England and Wales could reach continued unseasonable highs of up to 24C (75F), it will feel cooler due to the strong winds, Met Office meteorologist Mark Wilson said.
The unsettled weather is due to last right through the week, but an improvement is expected early next week as drier weather is set to take hold.
The season’s names have been compiled from a list of submissions by the public, choosing some of the most popular names and also selecting those which reflect the nations, culture and diversity of the UK and Ireland.
