Storm Debi: Woman in hospital, thousands lose power and towns flooded as gales and rain hit UK

Recovery operations are under way after Storm Debi swept across Ireland, forcing some schools to close and disrupting public transport services

A woman is in hospital after being hit by flying debris, hundreds of thousands of people have lost power and towns have been flooded, after Storm Debi made landfall in the UK and Ireland on Monday, with severe gale force winds and heavy rain.

Fire crews in Meath, Ireland responded to a number of incidents involving vehicles and fallen trees but reported no injuries.

Heavy winds and fallen trees have been reported across the country as local authorities responded to the damage, following the lifting of red and orange weather alerts for wind and rain.

Earlier today weather warnings were in place as the storm swept across Ireland before reaching northern England and parts of Wales, with the potential for 80mph gusts in some areas

A combination of rain and wind warnings were rolled out by the Met Office and Met Eireann - Ireland's meteorological service - in response to the storm.

So far storms Agnes, in September, Babet in October and Ciaran in November, have caused destruction in the UK, with Babet leading to the deaths of seven people.

Debi marks the earliest point in a storm season the letter D has been reached in the alphabet.

Before 2023, the earliest month in which the letter D had been reached was December, which happened in 2015 (Desmond), 2017 (Dylan) and 2018 (Deirdre).

ITV News breaks down how Storm Debi is impacting the UK and Ireland.

England

An amber weather warning - which is active from 10am until 4pm on Monday - has been issued for parts of north-west England. The warning covers coastal areas north of Liverpool up to Whitehaven.

Brits living in those areas have been warned by the Met Office to be wary of solid and disruptive winds, with the possibility of flying debris.

Damage to buildings and structures is likely, and heavy items such as tiles blown from roofs may present a potential danger to life.

The Met Office also warned that roads and bridges are likely to close, meaning longer journey times and public transport and other cancellations are possible, with road, rail, air and ferry services to be affected.

Meanwhile, some places, including Manchester, Sheffield, Liverpool, Stoke and north Nottinghamshire are covered by a yellow wind warning, which is in place until 6pm.

Northern Ireland

Much of Northern Ireland is covered by a yellow warning for wind and rain from 3am to 2pm.

Scotland

Aberdeenshire in Scotland will have a yellow warning for rain from 10am until 9pm.

Parts of north-east Scotland likely to see heavy rain were also battered by Storm Babet last month, including Brechin in Angus, where hundreds of homes had to be evacuated after the river South Esk breached its banks.

Wales

A yellow warning for wind - the lowest level of alert - will be in place from 4am until 6pm for areas including Bangor and St Davids in Wales.

Republic of Ireland

Falling debris from Storm Debi led to one woman in County Limerick being taken to hospital, with a spokesperson for An Post saying nobody was "seriously injured".

Power outages have been reported across Ireland, with around more than 100,000 homes and businesses left without electricity overnight.

Much of the Republic of Ireland is covered by a red wind warning - the highest level of alert - which came into place in the early hours and will last until 9am, with an orange warning set to carry on until 10am in parts.

A yellow warning applies to every county in Ireland from midnight until 3pm on Monday.

Heavy winds and fallen trees have been reported across the country as local authorities begin to assess the damage.

Power outages have been reported across Ireland, with around 100,000 homes and businesses left without electricity overnight.

Jason Kelly, chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: "The strongest winds are expected to affect parts of the Republic of Ireland early on Monday, possibly coinciding with the morning commute, before affecting parts of north Wales and northern England into the afternoon.

"Whilst the very strongest winds will have eased somewhat before reaching the UK, we are still expecting some significant impacts, and a wind warning has been issued.

"Additionally, Debi will bring a period of heavy rain to Northern Ireland for which a combined wind and rain warning has been issued."

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