Storm Ophelia: second person killed in Ireland, police confirm - as it happened

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Follow latest updates as Tropical Storm Ophelia batters Ireland, with homes and businesses without power and schools closed

Updated 16 Oct 2017

Nicola Slawson (now) and Haroon Siddique and Matthew Weaver (earlier)

Mon 16 Oct 2017 18.36 EDT

First published on Mon 16 Oct 2017 03.22 EDT

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Hurricane Ophelia approaching<br>epa06263320 An undated handout photo made available by US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on 13 October 2017 shows a graphic with an approximate representation of coastal areas under a hurricane warning for hurricane Ophelia over the Atlantic and the National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecast track of the center at the times indicated. Ireland and the United Kingdom are bracing for hurricane Ophelia to make landfall. EPA/NOAA / HANDOUT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES — Deadly Storm Ophelia batters Ireland - video report

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16 Oct 201709.58 EDT

Reports of a second death

There are reports of a second death from the storm. A man was killed trying to clear a tree with a chainsaw in Tipperary, according to the Irish Daily Mirror.

BREAKING: A man has been killed in Tipperary after trying to clear away a tree with a chainsaw. More to follow. #Ophelia
— Irish Daily Mirror (@IrishMirror) October 16, 2017

Second storm related death.@GardaTraffic report incident at Cahir, Co Tipp; man in his 30s killed clearing fallen trees.#Ophelia
— Jonathan Healy (@jonathanhealy) October 16, 2017

Earlier a woman was killed when a tree landed on her car in county Waterford.

16 Oct 201709.49 EDT

Seán Hassett said he filmed his parents’ wobbly flight landing at Dublin. “My heart was in my mouth,” he tweeted.

My parents flight landing @DublinAirport, well done to the pilot of EI491, my heart was in my mouth! #ophelia pic.twitter.com/2EvzA1BKk6
— Seán Hassett (@SeanHassett) October 16, 2017

16 Oct 201709.43 EDT

The Irish Coast Guard was called out to rescue kite surfers who got into difficulty off the coast of county Louth, north of Dublin.

CG, RNLI & R116 were tasked today to kite surfers in difficulty off Louth. We advise the public to stay away from the coast during #Ophelia pic.twitter.com/HkjNWQeBcR
— Irish Coast Guard (@IrishCoastGuard) October 16, 2017

Police in Ireland are warning people to stay away from the coast.

Gardaí are requesting people to stay away from waterways, cliff walks etc. People are not heeding the warnings given. #Ophelia pic.twitter.com/U2Fm8vzuJ9
— Garda Info (@gardainfo) October 16, 2017

16 Oct 201709.34 EDT

The Environment Agency has three flood warnings and 13 flood alerts in place for south west and north west England.

Cumbria council has closed the Ford bridge in Burneside, near Kendal

#StormOphelia #weatheraware #Cumbria EMERGENCY CLOSURE: Ford Bridge, Burneside nr Kendal for public safety. pic.twitter.com/qYXOL16mga
— CumbriaCountyCouncil (@CumbriaCC) October 16, 2017

16 Oct 201709.29 EDT

More strange light is being reported across the UK.

The sky is eerie. The end is nigh. pic.twitter.com/A1hKl3dxGp
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) October 16, 2017

Has anyone seen the red sun phenomenon caused by Hurricane #Ophelia!? Quite an effect - captured here by @RJSYork pic.twitter.com/Of1y8cGvT3
— York Minster (@York_Minster) October 16, 2017

#Sahara dust stopped play here at @TheAgeasBowl... 🌀 #Ophelia pic.twitter.com/5r8w4tI421
— Hampshire Cricket (@hantscricket) October 16, 2017

Going out on patrol and noticed how orange the sky and sun are. Gorse Hill SNT #opheliahurricane pic.twitter.com/rmBTPXJqYV
— Worcester SNTs (@WorcesterCops) October 16, 2017

The sky is a weird yellowy/grey colour 😳#Ophelia is brewing, batten down the hatches!#TakeCareFolks ❤ pic.twitter.com/Kiqc01ZRGz
— Traffic Scotland (@trafficscotland) October 16, 2017

16 Oct 201709.17 EDT

There are several reports of a strange dark orange light in northern England.

Strange light.
Very warm winds.#Ophelia pic.twitter.com/H8Nns73ewA
— Herdwick Shepherd (@herdyshepherd1) October 16, 2017

Bad light? 😳 #Ophelia pic.twitter.com/yJpk2kepJ4
— Durham CCC 🏏 (@DurhamCricket) October 16, 2017

Weather in Newcastle is so weird today. It's dark and the sky is like an orange-amber colour caused by this hurricane #ophelia #balls
— Tangerine Dream (@MattJWeaver) October 16, 2017

Earlier today a red looking sun was seen in many parts of England. The light is caused by particulates thrown up by the storm, according to experts.

16 Oct 201709.11 EDT

All trains cancelled in Ireland

Irish Rail has cancelled all trains for the rest of the day.

No more train departures on any line on our network for rest of day. If safe to do so, all routes resume Tues 17 Oct https://t.co/ZOHwurtrN3 pic.twitter.com/nOinrxfZFI
— Iarnród Éireann (@IrishRail) October 16, 2017

16 Oct 201709.07 EDT

Schools in Pembrokeshire close

All schools in Pembrokeshire on the west of Wales coast have been closed, as disruption from Ophelia spreads to the UK.

At least four downed trees are causing traffic problems in the county, the council said.

Around 200 homes are without power in the Eglwyswrw area, including the school which had to close early. The council decided to close all of its schools at 1pm.

16 Oct 201708.52 EDT

The number of homes and businesses without power has almost doubled to 230,000, according to RTE.

230,000 homes and businesses without power #ophelia
— RTÉ Radio 1 (@RTERadio1) October 16, 2017

Power cuts are no longer confined to the south-west of Ireland. Around a thousand homes are without power in Cong in County Mayo.

Approx 1,000 homes without power in Cong #Ophelia pic.twitter.com/CqjdUEWczx
— Mayo County Council (@MayoCoCo) October 16, 2017

16 Oct 201708.47 EDT

Henry McDonald

The violent winds caused by Storm Ophelia has affected the filming of Game of Thrones.

Set building for the cult television series, a large part of which is filmed in Northern Ireland, has been suspended due to the storm.

Filming on the new Superman prequel series Krypton, which is also being shot in the region, has also been halted for the day due to safety fears.

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Storm Ophelia: second person killed in Ireland, police confirm - as it happened

Live feed

Reports of a second death

All trains cancelled in Ireland

Schools in Pembrokeshire close

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