Storm Atiya
It has been blowing and very gusty since yesterday evening. At times, the house shudders and the chimney howls. The pressure has been dropping all day and has now hit about 982 hPa. Looking out the window when the tide is higher than normal, with white seahorses of water charging across our inlet, thunder, hailstones and the occasional downpour make me fill with wonder - are these storms getting more violent and more frequent? It certainly seems that way. Yet, the occasional burst of sunshine through it all makes it feel hopeful. Once again, people north of us in Donegal and south of us in Kerry have no electricity, and we remain lucky. As the first named storm of the season sweeps in, the forecasters warned of severe weather with gusts over 130km/h expected to hit Kerry. We just have to spare a thought for those at sea and those exposed to the elements going out on rescue missions. Let's hope they are weathering it safely.