Woman dies after caravan blown off cliff as Storm Ali strikes with 92mph gusts
A woman has died after the caravan she was in was blown off a cliff in Storm Ali, which has brought gusts of more than 90mph.
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 police said the body of a woman in her fifties was found after a search on the beach.
The scene where woman has died during #StormAli – the caravan she was staying in was blown down an incline at Claddaghduff, near #Clifden in County Galway. @papic.twitter.com/9ffdIWcAmt
— Niall Carson (@niallcarsonpa) September 19, 2018
The caravan could be seen smashed to pieces on rocks and on the sand.
In Scotland, the Forth Road Bridge, Clackmannanshire Bridge and Queensferry Crossing have put restrictions in place while the Tay Road Bridge is shut to all traffic having recorded winds of nearly 92mph.
Elsewhere, tug boats were called to the Nautica cruise ship which slipped its berth in Greenock.
Today = #StormAli brings strong winds & rain to northern parts ⬆️Tomorrrow = a new system brings strong winds & heavy rain further south ⬇️#WeatherAwarepic.twitter.com/gBsaBI56KL
— Met Office (@metoffice) September 19, 2018
Strong winds saw the vessel – which had 478 passengers and 26 crew – leave the dock after its mooring lines parted. There have been no reports of injuries.
A section of Princes Street in Edinburgh has been closed after parts of a shop roof flew off in strong winds.
Police Scotland was alerted to lead falling from the Topshop building at around 12.30pm on Wednesday.
A gust of 79 kts (91 mph) has been reported and confirmed at Killowen in Northern Ireland. #StormAli#stayweatheraware
— Met Office (@metoffice) September 19, 2018
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.
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.
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
Forecasters in Ireland issued a Status Orange wind warning for more than half the country due to the storm.
As Ali rolled in, the Met Office updated its amber weather warning of wind, saying there is a high likelihood of impacts across a swathe 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.
ScotRail said it was dealing with “severe disruption” across all of Scotland and advised people not to travel.
🚫 We’re dealing with severe disruption due to #StormAli right across Scotland. Our advice is Do Not Travel. ^CT
More on the disruption this storm has caused on our network: https://t.co/c33mbHTzEx
— ScotRail (@ScotRail) September 19, 2018
Dublin Airport said it has had 42 cancellations and eight diversions.
We've had 42 cancellations & 8 diversions due to high winds from #StormAli today. Please check with your airline in relation to your flight before coming to the airport. Departures info here https://t.co/2bD7lEWGaJ. Arrivals info here https://t.co/ckiUMjBwFf. pic.twitter.com/BmS97yXfSK
— Dublin Airport (@DublinAirport) September 19, 2018
Photos posted on social media showed trees down in Galway while Dublin Fire Brigade posted about falling trees damaging cars, with one photo showing a smashed windscreen.
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 #StormAlipic.twitter.com/xgqd0pBUAL
— Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) September 19, 2018
The worst of Ali’s weather was expected in the north, although areas outside the official weather warnings were 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 was expected to 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.
Ali is first on the storm names list for 2018-19 announced by the Met Office and Met Eireann, which has run the Name Our Storms scheme for four years.
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.