Storm Isha Batters Britain and Ireland, Kills 2, Leaves Thousands in Dark
london — Two motorists were killed, tens of thousands of people were left without electricity and hundreds of trains were canceled Monday after the latest winter storm lashed Britain and Ireland with heavy rain and wind gusts that topped 100 mph (160 kph).
The storm littered roads and railways with downed trees that created deadly hazards and blocked travel, disrupting morning commutes. On Sunday night, an 84-year-old male passenger in a car in Scotland and a van driver in his 60s in Northern Ireland were killed when their vehicles struck toppled trees.
The U.K.'s Met Office weather service had issued an unusual wind warning for the whole country before Storm Isha, which peaked overnight after exceeding forecasts for 90 mph (145 kph) gusts.
The Tay Road Bridge, a 1.4-mile (2.2-kilometer) span over the River Tay estuary in Scotland, recorded a 107 mph (172 kph) gust, it announced on social media. A 99-mph (159-kph) gust was recorded at Brizlee Wood radar station in northeastern England, the weather service said.
Ireland and the U.K. have been hammered since fall by gusty, wet storms that have knocked out power and caused flooding along river valleys. Isha is the ninth named storm since September and a 10th, named Jocelyn by the Irish forecaster Met Eireann, is due to bring more wind and rain Tuesday and Wednesday.
The railway operator for Scotland halted train service Sunday night, and service was disrupted through most of Monday morning. Network Rail, which owns the railway infrastructure in England, Scotland and Wales, placed speed limits on most lines to prevent engines from running into debris, leading to delays.
Several major roads in Scotland and northern England were shut because of high winds, downed trees or overturned trucks. Chief Superintendent Davy Beck of the Police Service of Northern Ireland said many roads there remained impassable Monday morning.
In County Antrim in Northern Ireland, three trees were blown down at Dark Hedges, a roadway lined with majestic beeches that became a popular tourist destination after being featured as Kingsroad in the TV series “Game of Thrones.”
The trees are said to be about 250 years old and are approaching the end of their typical life span. Several have been toppled by other storms.
“This is another blow to the Dark Hedges," said Mervyn Storey, chair of the Dark Hedges Preservation Trust. “In fact, one of the trees that was healthy has been blown down. It is very sad.”
In North Yorkshire in northern England, firefighters rescued several people trapped in flooded vehicles.
“It was definitely a terrifying experience at the time," Charlie Curry told ITV news after her rescue in Morton-on-Swale.
In Huddersfield outside Leeds in Northern England, an Alpaca shed was blown into the road, the local council warned on X, formerly Twitter.
Planes bound for several airports were diverted, including flights bound for Dublin that ended up in France.
Power was being restored throughout Monday. At one point, about 230,000 homes and businesses were without electricity in Ireland, and 40,000 lacked power in neighboring Northern Ireland.