The Isle of Man experienced significant disruption over the weekend as Storm Bert brought strong winds, heavy rain and localised flooding.

The storm, which was accompanied by a yellow weather warning until midday on Saturday, caused widespread issues, including power outages, road closures and the cancellation or travel and sporting events.

Roads littered with debris

The Isle of Man Constabulary advised against unnecessary travel early on Saturday, reporting that numerous trees had fallen, spreading debris on major routes across the island.

Road closures included the route at Glen Helen which was shut by extensive flooding after the river burst its banks.

The A3 in Kirk Michael was also blocked by flooding and stranded vehicles while the A1 in Union Mills was left partially blocked due to a fallen tree.

A section of the A3 to Ramsey was also left impassable near Glen Duff.

Crews from the police and the Department of Infrastructure (DoI) worked throughout the day to clear blocked roads, including Patrick Road in St John’s and the Ballavar Road near Archallagan Plantation.

Sir George's Bridge near Abbeylands on Saturday
Sir George's Bridge near Abbeylands on Saturday (Isle of Man Transport)

Power outages and flood rescues

The storm also left a number of areas without power.

Manx Utilities reported outages in Glen Tramman (Lezayre), Glen Moar Road (St John’s) and Port E Vullen (Maughold), with engineers braving the conditions to restore services.

Elsewhere fire crews from Peel, Douglas, Castletown and Ramsey responded to several flooding incidents, including rescuing three individuals trapped in their vehicle after floodwaters overtook a road near Glen Helen.

Station Officer Matt Tyrer warned against driving through floodwaters, emphasising the dangers even in shallow waters.

A section of the main road in Union Mills was particularly flooded
A section of the main road in Union Mills was particularly flooded (Isle of Man Transport)

Travel disruptions

Storm Bert also disrupted travel to and from the island, with flights to Manchester and Birmingham cancelled while others were hit by significant delays.

The Manxman’s sailings to and from Liverpool were cancelled due to strong winds, further impacting travel plans.

Some sailings were still being rescheduled up to Monday evening.

The gale force winds and heavy rain caused flooding across the island
The gale force winds and heavy rain caused flooding across the island (Isle of Man Transport)

Facilities and events impacted

Douglas City Council announced the closure of the Eastern Civic Amenity Site on Saturday, citing the hazardous weather conditions.

Sport was also hit hard, with football, rugby and hockey matches across the island postponed due to waterlogged pitches and unsafe conditions.

Areas in the Curraghs Wildlife Park were flooded, however they confirmed that all the animals were safe and by Sunday the flood waters had soaked away.

Areas of the Wildlife Park were flooded on Saturday but all the animals were safe
Areas of the Wildlife Park were flooded on Saturday but all the animals were safe (Curraghs Wildlife Park)

Weather eased by afternoon

By midday on Saturday, the storm began to subside, with rain easing and winds gradually dying down.

Despite this, cleanup efforts continued into the weekend.

Castletown Breakwater on Sunday, where the winds were still strong causing coastal overtopping
Castletown Breakwater on Sunday, where the winds were still strong (Adrian Darbyshire )

A look ahead

Conditions on Sunday were still very windy but with much less disruption.

By Monday, Storm Bert had passed and the island experienced mainly dry and bright weather conditions with sunny intervals.

The rest of the week looks set to be a lot calmer, with mainly dry and sunny weather.

However, as the Examiner went to print, the Met Office warned that Thursday and Friday could see strong winds hit the island.