Thunderstorms leave tens of thousands of people without electricity

Tens of thousands of homes in the Republic of Ireland are without power following thunderstorms, and hundreds of homes in Northern Ireland also experienced power outages.

From Sunday night until about 7:00 a.m. on Monday, thousands of lightning strikes were recorded across the island.

There are 36,000 households without electricity in the Republic of Ireland.

The system, which moved rapidly across the island, brought with it one of the most spectacular lightning displays in recent years.

ESB Network, which supplies energy to the Republic of Ireland, said it was working to “restore power to all customers and repair damage to infrastructure”.

Parts of the Midlands as well as the west, northwest and southwest were particularly affected, it said.

The company apologized to customers for the inconvenience caused.

The Met Office and Met Éireann had issued weather warnings for rain and thunderstorms, but these have since expired.

The intense weather also included warm nights, with temperatures in parts of Northern Ireland not falling below 18°C.

Temperatures have risen in recent days. The peak of the current heat wave is expected today.