Two people have been killed as Storm Ali wreaked havoc across Ireland.

A woman aged in her 50s died when the caravan she was staying in was blown down a coastal bank in Co Galway, while a man in his 20s was hit by a falling tree while working in a forest park in Northern Ireland.

The woman, understood to be a Swiss tourist, had been staying overnight on her own at a park at Claddaghduff, near Clifden on the far west coast of Ireland.

The caravan was swept down on to a beach when the high winds rolled in from the Atlantic overnight.

The man who died at Slieve Gullion forest park near Newry, Co Down, was a contractor working for Northern Ireland Water.

A fellow worker, aged in his 40s, was injured when the tree fell on them on Wednesday afternoon.

The fatalities came on a day when the island was battered by Storm Ali.

At one stage, more than 250,000 homes and businesses were without power on both sides of the border as power lines toppled.

One gust in Northern Ireland was recorded at 91mph.

Numerous roads, including motorways, were closed by fallen trees and many flights were cancelled.

After the first fatality was confirmed, Irish President Michael D Higgins extended his sympathy to the family.

“As president of Ireland, may I express my deepest condolences to her family,” he said.

Ireland’s Minister for Employment Regina Doherty also offered her condolences.

Newry and Armagh MLA Megan Fearon said the community around Slieve Gullion had been left “shocked and saddened”.

“I want to extend my condolences to the family and friends of this man at this difficult time,” she said. “The thoughts of our entire community are with them.

“I also want to commend the emergency services for risking dangerous conditions to respond swiftly to this incident to help others.”

The storm also led to the cancellation of the second day of a major agricultural show in Ireland.

The National Ploughing Championships in Co Offaly, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year, was cancelled following damage caused by the severe weather.

Irish forecaster Met Eireann said the strongest gusts as of 5pm were 147km/h (91.3mph) at Mace Head in County Galway, 124km/h (77mph) at Newport, Co Mayo, and 120km/h (74.5mph) at Claremorris, Co Mayo

In Northern Ireland, the Met Office said gusts of 91mph hit Killowen in County Down.

Ali is first on the list of named storms for 2018-19 announced by the Met Office and Met Eireann.</s>Two people have been killed as Storm Ali wreaked havoc across Ireland.

A woman aged in her 50s died when the caravan she was staying in was blown down a coastal bank in Co Galway, while a man in his 20s was hit by a falling tree while working in a forest park in Northern Ireland.

The woman, understood to be a Swiss tourist, had been staying overnight on her own at a park at Claddaghduff, near Clifden on the far west coast of Ireland.

The caravan was swept down on to a beach when the high winds rolled in from the Atlantic overnight.

The man who died at Slieve Gullion forest park near Newry, Co Down, was a contractor working for Northern Ireland Water.

A fellow worker, aged in his 40s, was injured when the tree fell on them on Wednesday afternoon.

The fatalities came on a day when the island was battered by Storm Ali.

At one stage, more than 250,000 homes and businesses were without power on both sides of the border as power lines toppled.

One gust in Northern Ireland was recorded at 91mph.

Numerous roads, including motorways, were closed by fallen trees and many flights were cancelled.

After the first fatality was confirmed, Irish President Michael D Higgins extended his sympathy to the family.

“As president of Ireland, may I express my deepest condolences to her family,” he said.

Ireland’s Minister for Employment Regina Doherty also offered her condolences.

Newry and Armagh MLA Megan Fearon said the community around Slieve Gullion had been left “shocked and saddened”.

“I want to extend my condolences to the family and friends of this man at this difficult time,” she said. “The thoughts of our entire community are with them.

“I also want to commend the emergency services for risking dangerous conditions to respond swiftly to this incident to help others.”

The storm also led to the cancellation of the second day of a major agricultural show in Ireland.

The National Ploughing Championships in Co Offaly, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year, was cancelled following damage caused by the severe weather.

Irish forecaster Met Eireann said the strongest gusts as of 5pm were 147km/h (91.3mph) at Mace Head in County Galway, 124km/h (77mph) at Newport, Co Mayo, and 120km/h (74.5mph) at Claremorris, Co Mayo

In Northern Ireland, the Met Office said gusts of 91mph hit Killowen in County Down.

Ali is first on the list of named storms for 2018-19 announced by the Met Office and Met Eireann.</s>DUBLIN/BELFAST, Sept 19 (Reuters) - A woman died on Wednesday when high winds blew her caravan off a cliff in the Irish Republic and a man died in Northern Ireland as Storm Ali grounded flights and left over 200,000 people across the island without electricity.

Irish police said the body of the woman, who was in her 50s, was recovered on a beach in the village of Claddaghduff in the western county of Galway after her caravan fell from the cliff above.

Police in the British province of Northern Ireland said later on Wednesday an engineer working for the Northern Ireland Water utility was killed in an incident involving a tree.

Some 126,000 homes and businesses were without electricity in the Irish Republic due to gale force winds that reached over 140 kilometres per hour, down from an earlier peak of 186,000, while power cuts hit another 90,000 homes north of the border.

More than 50 flights in and out of Dublin airport were cancelled.

Ireland's National Meteorological Service said severe gusts would persist in some areas but that, particularly in the west of the country, winds would continue to abate through the late afternoon and evening.

Three people died in Ireland last October when Tropical Storm Ophelia whipped up 10-metre high waves and battered every corner of the country. (Reporting by Padraic Halpin in Dublin and Ian Graham in Belfast Editing by Mark Heinrich)</s>Storm Ali: The story so far:
• Two people have died in separate incidents in Galway and Northern Ireland
• A woman was killed after her caravan was swept off a cliff near Clifden
• A man in his 20s died and another was injured after being hit by a tree near Newry
• National Ploughing Championships extended to Friday after second day cancelled

Latest: A man has died and another was injured when a tree fell on them as they worked in a country park in Northern Ireland during Storm Ali.

It is understood the men were doing contract work for Northern Ireland Water when the incident happened in Slieve Gullion Park, near Newry, this afternoon.

The park straddles Co Down and Co Armagh.

The man who died was aged in his 20s, while the injured man, who is aged in his 40s, had been taken to hospital.

A spokeswoman for the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said: "Police attended the sudden death of a man, aged in his 20s, in the Slieve Gullion Park, Drumintee Road area of Newry this afternoon."

Police said there were no suspicious circumstances and the incident was being investigated by the region's Health and Safety Executive.

Two victims have been claimed by the storm today after a woman was killed in Galway after the caravan she was in was blown off a cliff.

The woman, believed to have been a Swiss tourist aged in her 50s, was the sole occupant of the caravan.

Meanwhile, 126,000 customers across the country remain without power after the storm caused widespread outages today.

ESB says that while crews continue to work on restoring power, some customers should prepare to be without electricity for up to three days.

Power has been restored to more than 60,000 homes already today as gusts of 150km/h caused trees to fall onto overhead lines.

The areas most impacted include: Cavan, Sligo, Leitrim, Donegal, Castlebar, Galway, Portlaoise, Dundalk, Mullingar and parts of North County Dublin.

Local residents begin the clear up operation to clear roads after Storm Ali brought down several trees throughout County Galway including this one on the main Tuam to Headford road. Photo: Ray Ryan

Earlier: Storm Ali leaves 186,000 without power and brings Ploughing Championships to a historic halt

ESB Networks said that 186,000 homes, businesses and farms have been left without power, with the most impacted in Cavan, Sligo, Donegal, Castlebar and Galway.

Crews are working where it is safe to do so to restore power as quickly as possible.

Over 1400 individual faults have been recorded across the network.

There has been severe disruption to the Luas Green Line in Dublin, as trams are only running between Brides Glen-Balally and Dominick-Broombridge as teams work to untangle overhead wires struck by a tree.

Engineers are working to free a section of the tram but it is not known as yet whether full service will resume before rush hour this evening.

The storm has also led to the cancellation of the second day the National Ploughing Championships.

The event, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year, was cancelled following damage caused by the severe weather.

"All tickets for today will be valid for tomorrow," said Anna Marie McHugh, Assistant Managing Director of the National Ploughing Association.

"We are in conversation at the minute with all the service.

"So we're talking to them...to see how they feel about an extra day."

This is only the second time weather has affected the ploughing, in 1965 the event had to be postponed for a week because of snow.

Storm Ali continues to wreak havoc across Ireland and has led to delays in a number of services including postal services throughout the north and north-west of the country.

Heavy winds and subsequent storm damage led to disruptions in more than 60 post offices while mail deliveries across a wide area of the north and north-west were temporarily disrupted during the height of the storm.

Heavy winds and subsequent storm damage led to disruptions in more than 60 post offices while mail deliveries across a wide area of the north and north-west were temporarily disrupted during the height of the storm.

Met Eireann said the strongest gusts in the hour leading up to 10am reached speeds of 120km/h at Mace Head in County Galway, 98km/h at Dublin Airport and 107km/h at Shannon.

Storm damage to the exhibitor stands at the National Ploughing Championships at Screggan, Tullamore, Co Offaly. Picture Dan Linehan

Dublin Airport said the storm would have an impact on its schedule and warned of cancellations.

Gale-force gusts began to be recorded on the Galway coast as heavy rain moved in.

Forecasters issued a Status Orange wind warning for more than half the country due to the storm.

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.

The unsettled weather is due to last right through the week, but an improvement is expected early next week as the drier weather is set to take hold.

Ali is first on the storm names list for 2018-19 announced by Met Eireann and the UK Met Office, 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 Ireland and the UK.</s>DUBLIN/BELFAST (Reuters) - A woman died on Wednesday when high winds blew her caravan off a cliff in the Irish Republic and a man died in Northern Ireland as Storm Ali grounded flights and left over 200,000 people across the island without electricity.

Irish police said the body of the woman, who was in her 50s, was recovered on a beach in the village of Claddaghduff in the western county of Galway after her caravan fell from the cliff above.

Police in the British province of Northern Ireland said later on Wednesday an engineer working for the Northern Ireland Water utility was killed in an incident involving a tree.

Some 126,000 homes and businesses were without electricity in the Irish Republic due to gale force winds that reached over 140 kilometres per hour, down from an earlier peak of 186,000, while power cuts hit another 90,000 homes north of the border.

More than 50 flights in and out of Dublin airport were cancelled.

Ireland’s National Meteorological Service said severe gusts would persist in some areas but that, particularly in the west of the country, winds would continue to abate through the late afternoon and evening.

Three people died in Ireland last October when Tropical Storm Ophelia whipped up 10-metre high waves and battered every corner of the country.</s>Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption A woman died when the caravan she was in was blown off a cliff

Two people have died after Storm Ali swept across parts of the UK and Ireland, bringing winds of up to 100mph.

A woman died after the caravan she was in was blown off a cliff in the Irish Republic, while in Northern Ireland a man was killed by a falling tree.

Others have been injured, including a woman who was badly hurt when a tree fell on a car in Cheshire.

Thousands of homes are without power, lorries have overturned and a cruise ship broke free from its moorings.

A yellow warning, meaning "be aware", is in place for Northern Ireland, Scotland and northern England until 22:00 BST.

Ali is the UK's first named storm of the season.

A man in his 20s was killed and another in his 40s was injured, after a tree fell on them at the gates of Slieve Gullion Forest Park, near Newry, County Armagh.

The men were working on behalf of Northern Ireland Water.

It is understood the woman who was killed in County Galway was a tourist in her 50s who had been staying at a campsite in Claddaghduff.

Cheshire Police said a woman in Crewe was taken to hospital with serious injuries after a tree fell on a car on the A49.

In Scotland efforts will continue throughout the night to restore power supplies and clear debris from roads and rail.

One person was injured after being blown over by high winds outside the new V&A Dundee museum, which was later closed.

Five hundred cruise passengers and crew were stranded in Greenock after severe weather broke their ship's mooring lines. Tugs were called in to assist the Nautica.

A 102mph gust was recorded on the Tay Road Bridge between Dundee and Fife at 15:00.

Image copyright West Midlands Fire Service Image caption This home-owner in Sandwell, West Midlands, had a lucky escape after a tree was blown down

Earlier a "major incident" was declared in Dumfries and Galloway, where a number of people were hurt by flying debris.

Children in the area were told not to walk home from school until the weather subsided.

Dumfries and Galloway Virtual Operations Support Team said some children had been injured by flying debris.

The team said the "major incident" had now ended.

Image copyright PA Image caption This Boeing 737 managed to land in torrential rain at Leeds Bradford Airport, but many other flights are disrupted

Image copyright PA Image caption Tugs were sent to assist the cruise liner Nautica, which broke from its moorings

Earlier, a freight train derailed on the Highland Main Line after striking fallen branches.

And strong winds also caused a cruise ship to slip its moorings in the port of Greenock, Inverclyde.

Oceania Cruises said all guests and crew were safe and tugs were able to bring the vessel back to its berth on Wednesday evening.

In Edinburgh, a section of Princes Street in the city centre was closed after parts of the roof of the Top Shop building came off in strong winds.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption People in Blackpool brave the winds

Thousands of homes and businesses are still without power in Scotland.

Power cuts and fallen trees have also caused disruption in Cumbria, where residents were warned of flying debris.

Image copyright Tony McKenzie Image caption A trampoline lifts off in Shifnal, Shropshire

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Weather presenter Chris Fawkes says winds of 115mph were recorded in the Scottish mountains

Travel disruption:

Image copyright CUMBRIA ROADS POLICE Image caption Cumbria Roads Police says this HGV was overturned on the M6 due to wind

The M6 was closed northbound between J43 and J44 after a lorry was blown over - although lanes have now reopened

The Tay Road Bridge between Fife and Dundee was shut for much of the day, but later reopened to cars only

Glasgow Airport had a number of cancellations and there was further disruption expected at Belfast International Airport

Virgin trains running between Preston and Glasgow may be cancelled or delayed due to speed restrictions

Trains to and from Glasgow Central station were suspended

ScotRail is is advising against all but essential travel, with a number of routes suspended due to trees on the line or overhead wires being damaged

Image copyright PA Image caption Fallen trees like this one in Belfast are causing disruption

In Northern Ireland, about 65,000 homes were without power, while two councils closed some public spaces because of the storm.

Belfast City Council said it had closed all its parks, pitches and playgrounds, while Derry City and Strabane District Council closed all its parks and cemeteries "until further notice".

Belfast Zoo was also closed due to the weather.

Dozens of roads are known to have been affected, with a number closed by fallen trees.

Image copyright Nick Edgington / Twitter Image caption Storm Ali brought spectacular lightning over the west coast of Scotland

BBC Weather said on Wednesday evening that the wind had dropped - although the yellow warning remains in force across the whole of Scotland, and parts of North Wales and northern England.

Those areas are likely to experience gusts of up to 60 mph but could face similar levels of danger and damage.

BBC Weather said the storm could have a greater impact because of the time of year.

It said most trees were still in full leaf and were "acting like sails", making it more likely they could be pulled over and cause travel problems.</s>Two people have been killed as Storm Ali wreaked havoc across Ireland.

A woman aged in her 50s died when the caravan she was staying in was blown down a coastal bank in Co Galway, while a man in his 20s was hit by a falling tree while working in a forest park in Northern Ireland.

The woman, understood to be a Swiss tourist, had been staying overnight on her own at a park at Claddaghduff, near Clifden on the far west coast of Ireland.

The caravan was swept down on to a beach when the high winds rolled in from the Atlantic overnight.

The man who died at Slieve Gullion forest park near Newry, Co Down, was a contractor working for Northern Ireland Water.

A fellow worker, aged in his 40s, was injured when the tree fell on them on Wednesday afternoon.

The fatalities came on a day when the island was battered by Storm Ali.

At one stage, more than 250,000 homes and businesses were without power on both sides of the border as power lines toppled.

One gust in Northern Ireland was recorded at 91mph.

Numerous roads, including motorways, were closed by fallen trees and many flights were cancelled.

After the first fatality was confirmed, Irish President Michael D Higgins extended his sympathy to the family.

“As president of Ireland, may I express my deepest condolences to her family,” he said.

Ireland’s Minister for Employment Regina Doherty also offered her condolences.

Newry and Armagh MLA Megan Fearon said the community around Slieve Gullion had been left “shocked and saddened”.

“I want to extend my condolences to the family and friends of this man at this difficult time,” she said. “The thoughts of our entire community are with them.

“I also want to commend the emergency services for risking dangerous conditions to respond swiftly to this incident to help others.”

The storm also led to the cancellation of the second day of a major agricultural show in Ireland.

The National Ploughing Championships in Co Offaly, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year, was cancelled following damage caused by the severe weather.

Irish forecaster Met Eireann said the strongest gusts as of 5pm were 147km/h (91.3mph) at Mace Head in County Galway, 124km/h (77mph) at Newport, Co Mayo, and 120km/h (74.5mph) at Claremorris, Co Mayo

In Northern Ireland, the Met Office said gusts of 91mph hit Killowen in County Down.

Ali is first on the list of named storms for 2018-19 announced by the Met Office and Met Eireann.</s>DUBLIN/BELFAST (Reuters) - A woman died on Wednesday when high winds blew her caravan off a cliff in the Irish Republic and a man died in Northern Ireland as Storm Ali grounded flights and left over 200,000 people across the island without electricity.

Irish police said the body of the woman, who was in her 50s, was recovered on a beach in the village of Claddaghduff in the western county of Galway after her caravan fell from the cliff above.

Police in the British province of Northern Ireland said later on Wednesday an engineer working for the Northern Ireland Water utility was killed in an incident involving a tree.

Some 126,000 homes and businesses were without electricity in the Irish Republic due to gale force winds that reached over 140 kilometers per hour, down from an earlier peak of 186,000, while power cuts hit another 90,000 homes north of the border.

More than 50 flights in and out of Dublin airport were canceled.

Ireland’s National Meteorological Service said severe gusts would persist in some areas but that, particularly in the west of the country, winds would continue to abate through the late afternoon and evening.

Three people died in Ireland last October when Tropical Storm Ophelia whipped up 10-metre high waves and battered every corner of the country.</s>The Met Office has named the second storm of the year Storm Bronagh and it is expected to bring rain to Northern Ireland on Thursday evening.

Storm Bronagh will bring wind gusts of 45-50 mph quite widely around exposed coasts and in a few spots inland, while some gusts of 60-65 mph are possible, particularly overnight into Friday across eastern England. The strong winds will be accompanied by short-lived outbreaks of squally heavy rain in places.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist Paul Gundersen said: “Although the strongest winds are expected to occur as Storm Bronagh moves offshore into the North Sea, there is a low likelihood of damaging winds in places through this evening and overnight with possible could impacts to people travelling in England and Wales. However the strongest winds are most likely along the north east coast of England in the early hours of the morning."

BBC Northern Ireland Weather said that it was "likely" that Storm Bronagh would bring with it rain to Northern Ireland.</s>DUBLIN/BELFAST (Reuters) - A woman died on Wednesday when high winds blew her caravan off a cliff in the Irish Republic and a man died in Northern Ireland as Storm Ali grounded flights and left over 200,000 people across the island without electricity.

Irish police said the body of the woman, who was in her 50s, was recovered on a beach in the village of Claddaghduff in the western county of Galway after her caravan fell from the cliff above.

Police in the British province of Northern Ireland said later on Wednesday an engineer working for the Northern Ireland Water utility was killed in an incident involving a tree.

Some 126,000 homes and businesses were without electricity in the Irish Republic due to gale force winds that reached over 140 kilometers per hour, down from an earlier peak of 186,000, while power cuts hit another 90,000 homes north of the border.

More than 50 flights in and out of Dublin airport were canceled.

Ireland’s National Meteorological Service said severe gusts would persist in some areas but that, particularly in the west of the country, winds would continue to abate through the late afternoon and evening.

Three people died in Ireland last October when Tropical Storm Ophelia whipped up 10-metre high waves and battered every corner of the country.
Two people are killed by Storm Ali as it brings winds of up to 160 kilometres per hour (99 mph) in Ireland.