大象传媒

Storm Ophelia moves away from UK

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A police officer next to a tree in Sale, Greater ManchesterImage source, Reuters
Image caption,

Debris and fallen trees will continue to cause problems

Most schools in the UK and the Republic of Ireland will reopen as normal on Wednesday, after being closed for the last two days because of extreme weather.

Storm Ophelia has now moved away from the UK, and weather warnings have been lifted.

But around 20,000 households in Ireland are without water, and more than 250,000 homes and businesses across Ireland, Northern Ireland, north Wales and Scotland are without power.

Electricity companies have warned it could take days to restore the supply.

On Monday, three people in Ireland died following the storm, and one woman in north Wales was injured.

Ireland faced the worst of the storm on Monday, with parts of south west Ireland facing winds of 97 mph.

Ophelia then moved towards Scotland and North East England, on Tuesday morning with winds of up to 70 mph.

What damage has been caused?

Media caption,

Storm Ophelia: "We're off school today because it's really, really windy!"

In Cumbria, in the north-east of England, roads were closed around Barrow AFC's stadium after wind damaged its roof.

In Cork in the Republic of Ireland, the roof covering the stands at Cork City's Turner's Cross stadium, caved in and their match was cancelled.

Image caption,

Damage caused by Storm Ophelia in Cork

In Scotland, a clear-up is under way after roofs were torn off and trees brought down overnight, causing disruption to some rail services.

In Glasgow, a block of flats that was due to be partly pulled down, collapsed overnight, and the roof of a Scouts hall was blown off in Dumfries and Galloway as the region took the brunt of winds up to 77mph.

Image caption,

Three floors of the unoccupied building in Glasgow were damaged in the partial collapse

In Northern Ireland flights and ferries were cancelled due to the strong winds, and hospital appointments have also been rearranged because of transport problems.

Former US president Bill Clinton had planned to visit Northern Ireland on Monday, but postponed his trip due to the severe weather warnings.

Many roads are still closed due to fallen trees.

Image source, AFP/Getty Images
Image caption,

Trees felled in the storm have blocked roads and train lines

Videos on social media show garden furniture being swept up by the wind on the west coast of Ireland, and trees have come down in the high winds.

The storm was previously classified as a Hurricane, but had weakened enough by the time it reached Ireland to be declared a storm.

As well as strong winds, the storm brought with it strange pink skies and a red Sun.

It travelled across the Atlantic Ocean from the Azores.

Image source, AFP/Getty
Image caption,

A picture of Hurricane Ophelia taken from space