LISTEN: Storm Barra to batter Northern Ireland with winds, rain and snow

By Q Radio News/PA

Storm Barra will hit Northern Ireland, the UK and Ireland today with disruptive winds, heavy rain and snow, according to the Met Office – threatening more chaos as some households continue to struggle without power in the wake of Storm Arwen.

Weather warnings for snow, ice, rain and gusts exceeding 50 miles an hour have been issued as Storm Barra sweeps in from the Atlantic.

While the west of Ireland will receive the worst of the storm, yellow wind warnings are in place across Northern Ireland, England and Wales – with travel disruptions likely.

LISTEN: Storm Barra to batter Northern Ireland with winds, rain and snow.https://t.co/bTRxc7Jswd

— Q Radio News (@qnewsdesk) December 7, 2021

There are also fears of power cuts and damage to buildings.

The Met Office's John Wylie says coastal areas will be the worst affected:

In Ireland, schools have been told to keep their doors closed as a rare red warning was given for Cork, Kerry and Clare.

Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern said Storm Barra’s wind gusts and impacts “will be a notch down compared to Arwen”, which led to widespread power cuts in England on November 26 – some of which have not yet been restored.

There are concerns that gale-force winds could make it more difficult for engineers to reconnect the homes, though spokesman Stephen Dixon said winds would “gradually weaken” as they move east and should have petered out by Thursday.

Following a call with the boss of Northern Powergrid, Phil Jones, the British Prime Minister tweeted he had “asked for assurances that the energy supply companies were putting in place measures to limit any potential further disruption to households as a result of Storm Barra”.

The UK energy minister, Greg Hands, said on Monday it was “completely unacceptable” that around 1,600 households were still without power.

The Labour party in England has accused its Government of treating people in Scotland and the north of England as “second-class citizens”.

A deadline set last Wednesday to restore power supply to all properties by the end of the week was missed.

(Ancient trees lining the Dark Hedges were torn down in Storm Arwen last week)