Thousands of homes without power after strong winds brought by Storm Boelo

Thousands of properties were without power on Sunday morning after strong winds associated with Storm Boelo swept across Ireland overnight.A number of weather warnings remained in place on Sunday, with strong southwest winds, severe gusts and coastal gales set to persist this morning. Donegal was the last county remaining under a Met Éireann Status Orange weather warning related to the storm. This expired at 9am and was then replaced by a Status Yellow wind warning running until 3pm. Orange-level warnings for Sligo, Leitrim, Mayo and Galway expired earlier on Sunday, but a Yellow wind warning covers Connacht, Cavan, Louth and Monaghan until 10am. READ MOREA UK Met Office Amber Alert for Antrim and Derry remains in effect until 10am, and Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Derry will be under a Yellow warning until midday. The PSNI said a number of roads were closed in Northern Ireland due to fallen trees and debris related to the weather.“We would particularly draw your attention to closures on the Ballyrobin Road - both lanes currently impassable just after the junction with Seven Mile Straight– which may affect journeys to Belfast International Airport; and on the Glenshane Road, around half a mile from Castledawson roundabout, Derry bound,” it said. “Please continue to exercise caution while driving. If travel is essential, leave extra time for your journey and increase your stopping distance from the car in front.” Mayo County Council said the R331 Claremorris to Ballinrobe road was partially blocked by fallen trees, with crews attending the scene to remove the obstructions.The ESB Networks PowerCheck service was on Sunday morning showing a large number of outages in the west and northwest, where Boelo was strongest. There were also supply disruptions in parts of the midlands, Bantry in Co Cork and Dingle in Co Kerry. “We’re assessing the damage to the electricity network caused by Storm Boelo. We’ll provide updates on the estimated restoration times as soon as crews have evaluated impacted areas. Thank you for your understanding,” ESB Networks said.The stormy weather caused some transport disruption, with a number of flights cancelled at Dublin Airport on Saturday and several ferry crossings not departing between Dublin and Holyhead. Thousands of people are participating in the Dublin Marathon on Sunday morning, with organisers advising them to bring suitable layers to keep warm before the start and to have “warm, dry clothing available after finishing”. The National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management on Saturday said meetings of the National Severe Weather and Flood Coordination Group were being convened as Storm Boelo was bringing disruptive weather to much of the country.A number of weekend events were cancelled including the Lú Festival of Light in Drogheda and Trick or Treat in the City in Limerick.