Storm Ciara: Pair rescued from flood water in Augher

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Newcastle harbourImage source, David Nixon
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Strong winds lashed Newcastle, County Down, on Sunday

Firefighters rescued two people who were trapped in car in flood water in Augher, County Tyrone, as Storm Ciara battered Northern Ireland.

Crews pushed the car out of the water to safety during the rescue on the Lisnawery Road on Sunday morning.

Firefighters also had to protect 15 houses from flooding in Enniskillen and they rescued 12 sheep from floods in Dromore, County Tyrone.

A yellow weather warning for snow and ice remains in force.

Snow showers and icy surfaces are likely to lead to travel disruption, according to the Met Office, external.

The warning, which came into force at midnight on Sunday, will continue until midnight on Tuesday,

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The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said it relocated its crews to parts of counties Fermanagh and Tyrone over the weekend, where the risk of flooding was highest.

They spent nearly an hour rescuing the two people who were trapped in their car in Augher on Sunday morning.

Crews from Clogher fire station arrived at the scene on Lisnawery Road just after 07:50 GMT and got the vehicle to safety, with no injuries, just before 08:50 GMT.

On Saturday night, 15 homes were at risk of flooding at Laragh's Croft, Enniskillen and three crews used a high volume pump to divert flood water away from the houses.

The following morning, firefighters used a reach pole to rescue 12 sheep from flood water at Cavan Road in Dromore.

Storm Ciara has since moved away from Northern Ireland into Scandinavia, but its impact is still being felt.

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There was heavy rainfall in Enniskillen and other western areas over the weekend

The air across Northern Ireland on Monday and Tuesday originated in Canada and will bring a mix of rain, sleet and snow showers across Northern Ireland.

It will also bring probably the coldest air of the winter so far and it will feel bitterly cold due to a significant wind chill.

Snow will settle on hills above 150-200m and the snow line may lower later on Monday.

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Snow on Slieve Croob, County Down, on Monday morning

Several centimetres of snow will accumulate over the higher ground especially in northern and western counties, which is likely to mean further disruption later on Monday and Tuesday morning.

Unsettled weather is expected for most of the coming week, but it will turn milder towards the weekend as another - currently unnamed - storm approaches.

There is a further warning of snow and ice on Wednesday.

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Flooding in Omagh over the weekend

The highest recorded wind gust was 64mph at Killowen in County Down on Sunday, but gusts of over 70mph were recorded in County Donegal.

More than two inches (abut 50mm) of rain fell in many areas and just under 60mm was recorded at Lough Fea on the lower slopes of the Sperrin Mountains.

Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey announced emergency funding for councils following overnight flooding on Saturday night due to Storm Ciara.

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About 14,000 homes and businesses were without power in the Republic on Sunday due to the bad weather, which coincided with the start of counting in the country's general election.

There were also a smaller number of power cuts in Northern Ireland.

The opening ceremony to celebrate Galway's year as European Capital of Culture was cancelled on Saturday morning as organisers said it was "deemed unsafe to go ahead".

A Status Orange wind warning is still in forced for seven western counties in the Republic - Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo, Clare and Kerry, while a yellow wind warning is in force in the rest of the country.

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This is was scene at Ballintoy along Northern Ireland's north coast on Sunday

Silent Valley Reservoir, a popular visitor site in the Mourne Mountains, was closed "until further notice" as Northern Ireland Water considers the potential impact of the weather.

Storm Ciara was the third locally-named storm of the winter season after Storm Atiyah in December and Storm Brendan last month.

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Met Éireann said the "unsettled weather with strong winds and potentially stormy conditions look set to continue into the early days of next week, with cold weather prevailing".

It said there was a higher risk of coastal flooding due to spring tides, high seas and stormy conditions, especially for southern, western, and north-western coasts.