Ireland’s ninth winter Atlantic storm, Imogen, brought hurricane force winds and 30 foot high waves to Ireland leaving over 12,000 homes and businesses affected by the high winds.

Storm Imogen’s fierce winds worst affected the south-west, with Kerry and Cork, experience widespread blackouts and property damage. In the area of Macroom, in Cork, over 1,400 homes lost power while another 1,000 were affected in the Rathmore area.

A spokesperson from the Electricity Supply Board (ESB) Network told the Irish Independent on Monday morning “We’ve already restored power to over 3,000 homes and we’ve got crews at more than two dozen locations working to repair the faults.

“We’re facing rolling repairs so, at the moment, we’ve very much got a moving target. Still, we believe we should have everyone back by the evening.”

Ireland’s meteorological service, Met Éireann, recorded 30 feet high waves, via their weather buoys in the Atlantic. At Fastnet lighthouse, off County Cork, winds reached hurricane force speeds and gusts of up to 121mph.

Met Éireann have issued warning that westerly winds will reach mean speeds of 40 to 46 mph, with gusts of 62 to 80mph. A status orange wind warning in place for Cork and Kerry. A status yellow warning has been issued for Wexford, Clare, Limerick and Waterford, where winds will reach mean speeds of 40mph. These warnings remain in place until 8pm on Monday evening.

Limerick City and County Council say outdoor staff and emergency crews are continuing to respond to a number of flooding incidents. In a statement they report that the tide recorded is the second highest on record in Limerick City.

#Imogen will bring strong winds and rain to the UK into Monday: https://t.co/opbUHpuaTb pic.twitter.com/QtlEJEn315

— AccuWeather.com (@breakingweather) February 7, 2016
By Tuesday, while the storm will have passed the weather will continue to be cold and blustery. The public are also being advised to be aware of fallen trees and power lines while people in coastal areas are being warned for the dangers of extreme wave heights.

Sunday World Wind warnings issued as storm Imogen hits Ireland https://t.co/HRWXBYXeTd pic.twitter.com/IjGrVVPwm7

— Latest Irish News (@24IrishNews) February 8, 2016
Happily early indications are that the Storm Imogen will not be as damaging as the previous storms Barney, Desmond, Gertrude and Henry.

The United Kingdom has been the worst hit. Ferry sailings have been cancelled and high-sided vehicles have been advised not to use exposed motorways and bridges in southern England and Wales. Nearly 300 Environment Agency flood warnings are in place amid heavy downpours, some areas are expected to see up to more than 40mm of rain on Monday.

Related: Weather