Storm Kathleen wreaks havoc as flights grounded and thousands without power in 70mph winds

Dozens of UK flights were cancelled as Storm Kathleen brought winds of up to 70mph and left 34,000 people without power.

Strong winds have battered the UK as two yellow warnings have been issued for the whole of Northern Ireland and the west coast of England, Wales and southern Scotland from 8am this morning to 10pm tonight.

A second weather warning will encompass northwest Scotland from 9am to 3pm tomorrow across Eilean Siar, Highland and Argyll, and Bute.

As downpours and gusts persist overnight, Sunday should be drier for most with sunshine expected and warm temperatures in the south, according to the Met Office.

Chief meteorologist Dan Suri said: “Storm Kathleen will bring strong, gusty winds to western areas of the UK through Saturday. Gusts of 50 to 60 mph are expected quite widely, while some exposed spots, particularly in coastal Northern Ireland, will see 60 to 70 mph gusts with large waves also expected.”

The high winds also caused travel disruption, as around 70 flights departing and arriving at UK airports before midday on Saturday were cancelled as the Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for wind.

Some flights to and from Dublin and Belfast City airports were also cancelled.

At the UK’s busiest airport, London Heathrow, a restriction on the rate of arrivals caused British Airways to cancel 26 European and domestic flights – including links to and from Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Edinburgh, Nice and Rome.

A spokesperson for British Airways said: “Like all airlines, due to flow rate restrictions imposed by air traffic control at Heathrow airport we’ve made some minor adjustments to our schedule.

“We’ve apologised to our customers for the disruption to their travel plans and our teams are working to get them to their destinations as quickly as possible.”

Many departures from airports in Ireland have been grounded, including Aer Lingus flights from Cork, Dublin, Knock and Shannon to London and other cities.

The Isle of Man airport has seen at least a dozen cancellations, including to and from London, Liverpool, Manchester and Dublin.

Mr Suri added: “There will also be some blustery showers in the west with the eastern side of the UK seeing a drier and brighter day.

“With the winds coming from the south, some unseasonably warm air will be drawn across parts of the UK.

“When combined with sunny spells in East Anglia we could see temperatures reaching 21°C or 22°C for a time on Saturday. These temperatures are well above average for the time of year and the highest we’ve seen in the UK since last October.”

Power outages reported on Saturday were concentrated in Mayo, Galway, Kerry and Cork.

Around 34,000 customers were left without electricity as Storm Kathleen continues to sweep across the island of Ireland.

A spokesperson for ESB Networks said: “Crews are mobilised in impacted areas and responding to power outages where safe to do so.

“ESB Networks is continuing to monitor the situation as Storm Kathleen tracks across the country and weather warnings remain in place.

“With high winds forecasted into the afternoon, further outages can be expected in impacted areas.”

Edinburgh moved their European Challenge Cup tie against Bayonne on Saturday evening to Murrayfield due to Storm Kathleen.

The round-of-16 rugby union tie was to be played at the Hive Stadium next door to Murrayfield, but the venue has been switched because of the strong winds which are set to hit Edinburgh on Saturday.

Edinburgh said their operations team and Scottish Rugby health and safety officials had been in contact with the Met Office to discuss the impact of the yellow warning for the wind. The game’s 8pm kick-off time remains unchanged.