PRESTON, England — A violent storm that hit Ireland and Britain turned deadly with winds of 80 to 90 miles per hour.
A man was killed in Preston on Saturday morning when a tree fell over the A59 motorway and crashed into his van, according to Lancashire Police. Wind gusts between 60 and 65 km/h were sometimes measured in the area.
The cyclone, named Storm Darragh, brought even stronger winds to Ireland and the western coasts of England and Wales.
Nearly 400,000 people were without power in Ireland on Saturday morning, but around 225,000 had been restored by midday, according to ESB Networks. Widespread wind gusts of 60 to 75 miles per hour were reported across much of the country. Wind gusts reached 120km/h in Dublin and 140km/h in Mace Head along the north-west coast.
“The impact is nationwide and extensive damage has been caused to electricity infrastructure to date,” ESB officials said in a news release on Saturday. “Based on our experience with previous significant weather events, we expect recovery to take several days and the worst affected areas are likely to take longer.”
BALLYCLARE, NORTHERN IRELAND – DECEMBER 7: An airport transfer bus is pictured after leaving the road and crashing into a house in Templepatrick during high winds on December 7, 2024 in Ballyclare, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)
The gusts became even stronger as Storm Darragh crossed the Irish Sea and reached the Welsh coast, where a rare ‘red’ weather warning was in force. The UK Met Office reported peak gusts of 150 km/h at Capel Curig and 150 km/h in Aberdaron.
Damaging winds blew through the heart of England with gusts of up to 60 to 80 km/h and in some places almost 100 km/h.
Pilots faced wind gusts of almost 50 miles per hour as they tried to land at London’s Heathrow Airport, causing some nerve-wracking moments.
Planes struggle to land at London’s Heathrow Airport during Storm Darragh.
Nearly 200,000 more people were without power in Wales and England, according to PowerOutage.com.
Pictures from across England show scores of fallen trees and blown-over fences as strong gusts of wind swept through the country.
Part of a fallen tree that hit a car on Greenbank Road in Liverpool. Millions of people have been warned to stay indoors, thousands are without power and trains have been canceled after the government’s ‘danger to life’ warning caused by Storm Darragh came into effect. Photo date: Saturday, December 7, 2024. (Photo by Peter Byrne/PA Images via Getty Images)
Weather conditions gradually improved from west to east over the weekend.
Original article source: Storm Darragh turns deadly in England, while strong winds above 130 to 150 kilometers per hour could hit Britain and Ireland
