Tens of thousands of homes, farms, and businesses in Ireland faced power outages on Saturday as Storm Bert swept through the region. In the UK, the storm caused closures of rail lines and roads, with forecasters describing it as a “multi-hazard event.”
The Met Office issued yellow and amber warnings across most of the United Kingdom for wind, rain, snow, and ice. Social media posts depicted snow-covered roads in some areas of the UK and significant flooding in Killybegs, a town in Donegal, Ireland, where water rose to the tops of parked cars.
“As we go through the first part of Saturday morning, it (the storm) will start to show its hand across Scotland, north Wales, and northern England, with the potential for some heavy snowfall, especially over higher ground,” said Met Office Chief Meteorologist Jason Kelly.
Kelly emphasized the storm’s varied impact, stating, “Storm Bert is what we call a ‘multi-hazard event,’ bringing snow, rain, and wind to the UK for the majority of the weekend.”
In Ireland, the Meteorological Service issued a “status red” rain warning, its most severe alert, for Cork and Galway overnight. The west coast experienced severe flooding, leaving some roads impassable.
Travel services were also disrupted. ScotRail announced suspensions of routes like Inverness-Elgin and Aberdeen-Inverurie, which are often frequented by tourists. Meanwhile, ESB Networks reported that high winds caused power outages affecting 60,000 properties, mainly in Ireland’s west and northwest regions.
“ESB Networks crews and contractors are deployed and (are) restoring power in impacted areas where it is safe to do so,” the company shared on its website, warning of possible further outages over the weekend.
