More than 280,000 without power in NI after Storm Eowyn batters region
A gust of almost 93mph was recorded in Co Down.
More than 280,000 homes and businesses are without power in Northern Ireland after Storm Eowyn battered the region.
Hundreds of trees came down during the storm, damaging properties and blocking roads.
The strongest gust of wind recorded on Friday was 92.2mph at Killowen in Co Down.
A Met Office red warning that covered the whole region from 7am lifted at 2pm.
Schools, colleges, courts and many shops were closed on Friday while some health appointments were postponed. Public transport was suspended during the top-level red warning for wind.
Dozens of flights were also cancelled at Belfast International and Belfast City airports.
The Aurora Leisure centre in Bangor, Co Down, sustained significant damage to its roof, and several large trees crashed down in Cyprus Avenue, a tree-lined street in east Belfast made famous by a Van Morrison song.
NIE Networks activated its emergency plans in response to the storm, and efforts to restore power have commenced following the end of the red weather warning.
At 3pm on Friday, there were around 283,000 customers without power in the region.
Alex Houston, network operations manager for NIE Networks, urged people to stay clear of any damaged equipment or broken lines.
“Where trees have fallen they may have impacted on a power line even if damage isn’t immediately obvious, so please look out for power lines and, if in doubt, stay clear,” he said.
“We will only be able to begin to mobilise our crews when the red alert passes.
“At that stage we will be focusing on making the network safe but our plea is for everyone to remain vigilant and clear of any electricity lines.”
In advance of the storm, police said Friday was expected to have the strongest winds in the region since the Boxing Day storm in 1998, which caused widespread disruption.
Earlier, First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly urged people to stay at home until the storm subsided.
“The scale of the storm, the level of wind that we’ve experienced across the island… is something that’s never been seen before,” Ms O’Neill told BBC Radio Ulster.
Ms Little-Pengelly described it as a “very serious storm”.
