Summary

  • More than 20,000 households in Northern Ireland are still without power

  • NIE says some customers may not have power restored until Monday

  • A number of leisure centres will open on Sunday for those still impacted

  • The powerful gusts brought down a number of trees, blocking many roads and damaging homes

  • Bus, trains, flights and ferries were all affected by Storm Darragh

  • A Stena line ferry from Cairnryan which had been unable to berth in Belfast due to the weather finally docked on Saturday evening

  • A number of festive events were cancelled and councils closed some facilities

  • A yellow warning for strong wind remains in place across Northern Ireland until 06:00 GMT on Sunday

  1. All at seapublished at 11:08 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December

    A passenger aboard the ferry that is currently stuck off the Antrim coast has shared these photos of some stormy-looking seas.

    The ferry, which left Cairnryan shortly before 01:00 this morning, has been unable to berth at Belfast due to the storm.

    Stormy sea seen through a window covered in rain drops. A couple of headlands in the distance.
    Stormy sea seen through a window covered in rain drops. A couple of headlands in the distance.
  2. Bus crashpublished at 10:51 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December

    An airport bus travelling from Belfast crashed into a building overnight during the storm.

    The crash occurred near Templepatrick.

    A bus with the words "airport express" andImage source, Pacemaker
  3. Falling bricks in Belfastpublished at 10:34 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December

    Darran Marshall
    BBC News NI

    Police cars in Belfast city centre, with a green pub in the centre

    Police have sealed off Castle Street in Belfast after some bricks fell from the side of a city centre pub.

    A large police cordon remains in place with Queen Street closed to traffic.

    Almost all businesses on the street remain closed this morning .

  4. Ferry stuck in Belfast Loughpublished at 10:14 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December

    Stena Line has cancelled several ferries between Belfast and Cairnryan this morning and afternoon.

    The 23:30 sailing from Cairnryan last night left an hour later and is currently still sitting in Belfast Lough.

    The company told BBC News NI: “Due to adverse weather conditions caused by Storm Darragh, Stena Superfast VII has been unable to berth in Belfast.

    "Passengers have been informed and are being taken care of onboard. The ship is currently safely sheltered on the Antrim coast.

    "The ship will berth in Belfast once conditions improve, and it is deemed safe to do so.”

    The company have also announced that all sailings between Belfast and Liverpool have been cancelled today.

    Meanwhile, P&O Ferries have announced all crossings between Larne and Cairnryan today have been cancelled.

    Lorry driving under a sign that says "Stena Line, Welcome to the Port of Belfast"Image source, PA
  5. A2 Belfast-bound reopenedpublished at 10:07 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December

    The tree blocking the road near Seapark in Holywood has been cleared, so Translink say bus services will now be operating as normal.

  6. Flights cancelledpublished at 09:59 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December

    Close-up commercial airplane flying in the sky from the bottom viewImage source, Getty Images

    The early Aer Lingus and British airways flights in and out of Belfast City Airport have been cancelled, with at least one flight due to arrive at Belfast International also cancelled.

    A 06:30 GMT Easyjet flight out of Manchester and bound for Belfast City was diverted back to Manchester after spending about two hours in the air.

    Passengers should contact their airline for updates.

  7. Bus services out of Ballymenapublished at 09:42 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December

    Translink say that due to fallen trees blocking several roads in the area, all services are currently suspended leaving Ballymena bus depot until further notice.

  8. Top gustspublished at 09:29 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December

    Barra Best
    BBC News NI weather presenter

    Graphic showing wind gusts at various points in Northern Ireland in mph. Orlock Head:76, Magilligan: 68, Killowen, 67, Lough Fea: 64, Portglenone: 61, Glenanne: 60.

    Storm Darragh has been battering Northern Ireland with severe gusts through the early hours of Saturday morning.

    The strongest up until 08:00 GMT include 76mph (122km/hr) at Orlock Head in County Down, 68mph at Maglligan in Derry, 67mph at Killowen in Down, 64mph at Lough Fea in Tyrone, 61mph at Portglenone in Antrim, and 60mph in Glenanne in Armagh.

    An amber warning is in force across Northern Ireland until 21:00 on Saturday.

    In the Republic of Ireland, gusts of 87mph were recorded in County Galway late last night as the storm moved in from the Atlantic.

  9. Some good road news in County Armaghpublished at 09:16 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December

    The M1 westbound between J9 Moira and J10 Lurgan has reopened.

  10. More roads closed due to fallen treespublished at 09:10 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December

    Police have issued a warning about the Ballyclare Road, near Templepatrick, on approach to the M2 Belfast bound.

    Multiple trees have been toppled, they say. "Please exercise caution."

    The Malone Road in Belfast is currently blocked near the House of Sport due to three fallen trees.

    Eleven roads in the Larne area are closed:

    • Wellington Avenue
    • Browndod Road
    • Lower Cairncastle Road
    • Upper Cairncastle Road
    • Shaneshill Road/Ballymena Road
    • Straidkilly Road, Glenarm
    • Molyneaux Avenue
    • Ballystrudder Road
    • Bay Park
    • Main Road, Glynn
    • Shore Road, Magheramorne

  11. Power outagespublished at 08:57 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December

    There are about 46,000 households across all the counties without power, according to NIE Networks.

    Damage to the electricity network includes broken overhead power cables, fallen trees across lines and broken poles.

    NIE Networks' engineers are currently assessing the extent of the damage in each area, and deploying staff and equipment to where they are needed most.

    They say this will take several hours to complete, adding that repair work will begin as soon as it is safe for emergency crews to do so.

    Electricity pylon with dark clouds in the backgroundImage source, Getty Images
  12. Public transport suspendedpublished at 08:46 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December

    Translink have announced all NI Railways and Enterprise train services have been suspended until further notice.

    All Goldliner services, including those to Dublin and the airports, have also been suspended.

    Translink say that several Metro, Ulsterbus and Glider services, while still running, are delayed and diverted due to fallen trees on some roads.

    For latest updates you can check Translink's website, external.

    A pink double decker bus with "Not in Service" on it's displayImage source, PA Media
  13. Roads closedpublished at 08:31 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December

    The following roads are currently closed due to fallen trees or other obstructions:

    Belfast

    Upper Springfield Road closed at Monagh Bypass

    Falls Road closed at La Salle Drive in both directions

    County Down

    A2 Bangor Road Belfast bound impassable after Whinney Hill

    Dromore Road closed at Moira Road, Hillsborough

    Ballygowan Road Comber

    County Tyrone

    A505 Omagh - Cookstown Road

    Mullaghmore Road, Tullycullion Road

    Foygh Road, Castlecaulfield Road

    Killyharry Road, Drumreany Raod

    Ballygawley Road, Old Ballygawley Road

    County Antrim

    Cullybackey Road closed at Sand Road

    Fenaghy Road, Ballymena

    Crebilley Road, Ballymena

    Colin Road closed at Braehill Road, Ballymena

    A8 (M) between Sandyknowes roundabout towards Corrs Corner

    County Fermanagh

    Pettigo Road, Kesh

    A Road Closed sign with two traffic cones on either sideImage source, PA Media
  14. Morningpublished at 08:30 Greenwich Mean Time 7 December

    It's not a very good morning weather-wise here in Northern Ireland as Storm Darragh has already made its presence felt.

    Thousands of people are without power and fallen trees are causing havoc on the roads.

    All rail services have been suspended.

    Stay with us throughout the day for all the latest news.