In Pictures: Storm Barra leaves trail of debris in its wake
West From In Storm Andy Gibson/pa Cork Workmen Picture: Clear Roads Debris
Thousands of people remain without power in Ireland, as the country feels the after-effects of Storm Barra.
The storm caused damage across the island over the course of Tuesday and into Wednesday, with around 13,000 homes still without electricity at 8.30pm.
While Wednesday afternoon was calmer in many parts, damaged continued to be reported across various parts of the country.
It came following a storm that saw wind speeds reach 135km per hour on Sherkin Island in Cork and 133km per hour at Mace Head in Galway, according to early data from Met Eireann.
As of 6pm on Wednesday evening, all weather warnings had been lifted as winds calmed in most parts of the country.
Earlier, the Department of Education confirmed that all schools will open their doors on Thursday, after the storm caused two days of closures for some pupils in the worst-affected areas.
All colleges and higher education institutions will also open on Thursday.
Earlier the Department of Housing, which co-ordinates the response to storms, warned that the country was still experiencing strong, gusty north-west winds.
#StormBarra is departing our shores. Here is a provisional look at the highest wind gusts that were recorded during the storm 🌊🌬️🍃
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) December 8, 2021
The latest news about #StormBarra can be seen here👇 https://t.co/RyalOPUXoU
Officials said they were monitoring the impact of the storm, with temporary flood defences remaining in place at locations across the country.
Local council staff and businesses began the clear-up operation on Wednesday morning, after the storm brought flooding and significant damage to some parts of the country.
However, damage continued to be reported throughout Wednesday amid warnings about the ongoing dangers of fallen trees and reports of flooding in some areas.
Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council reported that a tree had fallen at a busy junction in the southside suburbs of Dublin.
A spokesperson for ESB said that crews will work into the night to restore power to customers, despite poor weather conditions.
“Due to the severity of the damage caused by Storm Barra, access remains difficult and unfortunately, many of those remaining customers will be without power overnight and into tomorrow, with small pockets of customers potentially without power beyond that,” they said.