Killer storm Ophelia set to bring more disruption to UK after battering Ireland

Storm Ophelia is expected to cause further disruption to the UK today after three people died and hundreds of thousands were left without power in Ireland.

Winds of up to 118mph were recorded as the former hurricane ripped through the island and headed towards Britain.

Video and pictures showed roofs being torn off buildings, flooding on coastlines and fire services reported scores of trees being felled and power lines being blown down on Monday.

Ophelia is forecast to move north and the Met Office has put out a yellow warning of very windy weather for Northern Ireland, northern England, central and southern Scotland, and northwest Wales until 3pm today.

There could be gusts of up to 70mph in parts of Scotland and northeast England.

The Met Office has warned there could be disruption on the roads as well as to rail, air and ferry services. Buildings may be damaged and there could be more power cuts.

A woman in her 50s died close to the village of Aglish in County Waterford when a tree fell on to her car, while a man died in identical circumstances in Ravensdale, Dundalk.

Another man died after being fatally injured by a chainsaw while he tried to clear a fallen tree in Cahir, Co Tipperary.

Around 330,000 homes and business were still without power on Monday night following the worst storm to hit Ireland in more than half a century.

Help from Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK is expected to be drafted in on Wednesday to help restore power, said ESB, the Republic of Ireland’s electricity network.

All schools in Northern Ireland and the Republic were closed and will remain shut today as officials assess damage.

Sky News weather producer Chris England said the storm would head to Britain, adding: "The worst of the gales will ease overnight, but there will still be the risk of some disruption in the north.

"The rain will become largely confined to Scotland, but there will be a few showers elsewhere, mainly over northern parts.

"Early rain over northern Scotland will give way to showers during Tuesday morning and the gales will gradually die out.

"Elsewhere, many places will be fine and dry, but there will be a few showers for southern Scotland, northern Ireland and the north of Ireland.

"Southern England may see the odd shower too, while more rain will move onto western Channel coasts around midday."

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, who chaired a meeting of his government’s National Emergency Coordination Group, urged the public to stay safe, saying: "The advice is: stay indoors until the storm passes.

"Whether that is at work, in their home or some other home, stay indoors. Check on neighbours and relatives."

Some 180 flights were cancelled at Dublin Airport, and passengers using airports in Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Cork and Shannon were also advised to check the latest information before travelling.

As Ophelia began to batter southern Ireland, dramatic footage showed a roof being blown off the Douglas Community School’s gym in Cork.

Meanwhile, pictures on Twitter showed the collapsed roof of one of the stands at Cork City’s football stadium.

Dozens of roads were also affected, with trees and crashed vehicles blocking some major routes including Dublin’s M50 and several streets in the city centre.

In parts of England, the sun appeared to turn red as Ophelia’s winds pulled air and dust up from southern Europe and Africa.

(c) Sky News 2017: Killer storm Ophelia set to bring more disruption to UK after battering Ireland