Hurricane winds cause power cuts throughout Mayo

Gusts of up to over 100 kmh saw waves engulf Roonagh Pier on Monday morning, leaving islanders on Clare Island marooned.?Pic: Paul Mealey

Hurricane winds cause severe power cuts in 14,000 Mayo homes


Deirdre Gavin

This weekend saw winds of up to Storm Force 10 blasting the West Coast, resulting in disruption around the county. Up to 14,000 Mayo homes lost electricity. According to ESB, the strong winds caused branches and trees to collide with power cables and in some cases knock poles.
A representative for ESB explained that repair crews were working to restore power in affected areas. He said he hoped supply would be returned to all customers by nightfall. Some households may be without electricity for a longer period than this, he said, depending on the level of damage.
Four fallen trees were reported to Castlebar Gardaí. They were dealt with by Mayo County Council and did not result in any injuries or damage.
The second major storm of the year, it was named ‘Storm Udo’. Gusts of between 110 kph and 140 kph were recorded in north Connacht and in the northern counties of Ulster.
Sustained winds of up to Storm Force 10, with stronger gusts in areas, affected the northwest during yesterday. However, the rest of the country didn’t escape, with gales affecting most coastal areas. 
A 144kph gust was recorded in Belmullet, which translates into a gust of 78 knots. This was the highest gust for May in Belmullet since 1964, according to irishweatheronline.com. A spokesperson for Met Eireann confirmed that mean wind speed for the county was very high as a result of Udo. She said the storm-force gusts for Belmullet are a contrast with the usual reports for the station, which are of rainfall. Belmullet weather station records the highest number of ‘wet days’ in the country – an average of 193 days per year.

Wind facts

• The highest ten-minute mean wind speed was 71kts at Foynes, Co Limerick, on January 18, 1945.
• The station with the lowest mean wind speed in Ireland is Kilkenny, averaging at 6.5 kn (12.0 km/h; 7.5 mph).
• Hurricane Debbie, which hit on September 16, 1961, killed eleven people and caused extensive damage to property over the western half of the country.
• The highest wind speed ever recorded in Ireland was 200 km/h (124 mph; 108 kn) on January 12, 1974, at Kilkeel, Co Down.