Storm Fergus: Clean-up under way after tornado in Leitrim village uproots trees and overturns boats

A clean-up is under way on Monday in Leitrim village after it was hit by a localised tornado during the latest winter storm to hit the country.

Substantial damage to buildings, cars and boats was caused during the brief weather event shortly after midday on Sunday.

In western counties, property damage, coastal flooding and power outages have been reported after Storm Fergus swept across the country.

The second named storm of the weekend saw Co Galway lashed by strong winds and heavy rain, which then tracked eastwards across the country.

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A combination of the strong winds and high tides caused flooding in Salthill, Galway, where overtopping occurred along a section of the promenade, forcing road closures for a time.

There was also some flooding in Clarinbridge, though not as severe as occurred during Storm Debi in November.

The extreme weather led to some power outages, according to ESB Networks, but overall it said the scale of disruption was “relatively low”.

“Crews are mobilised and working towards restoring power as quickly and safely as possible,” a spokesman said.

The freak weather event in Leitrim village blew the roof off at least one house and damaged several others.

[ Storm Fergus: Tornado-like weather event causes extensive damage in Leitrim village ]

Several cars were damaged by flying debris, while trees were uprooted and walls were knocked over. A number of boats moored at the local jetty were overturned.

The village was left without power for several hours after the incident.

There are no reports of serious injuries, although at least one motorist received treatment for minor injuries after debris smashed in a car windscreen.

Many areas of the country experienced strong westerly winds on Sunday that made travel difficult and created the risk of coastal flooding, Aoife Kealy of Met Éireann said.

The risk of damage was increased by the fact that Storm Fergus was the second storm of the weekend, she added.

Wind speeds at Mace Head in Co Galway reached 85km/h on Sunday afternoon, with gusts of up to 117km/h.

With the storm clearing east overnight, Monday is forecast to be clear and calm in most areas, though rain will move in from the southwest as the day proceeds.

Further rain is expected on Wednesday night but this week is forecast to be generally settled. “It won’t be a gorgeous week but it won’t be a bad one either for this time of the year,” Ms Kealy said.

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