Fatal Storm Damages Game of Thrones Backdrop

Two motorists were killed and tens of thousands of people were left without electricity Monday after a winter storm lashed Britain and Ireland with heavy rain and wind gusts that topped 100mph. In County Antrim in Northern Ireland, three trees were blown down at Dark Hedges, a roadway lined with majestic beeches that became a popular tourist destination after being featured as Kingsroad in Game of Thrones. The trees are said to be about 250 years old and are approaching the end of their typical lifespan. Several have been toppled by other storms, the AP reports. "This is another blow to the Dark Hedges," said Mervyn Storey, chair of the Dark Hedges Preservation Trust. "In fact, one of the trees that was healthy has been blown down. It is very sad."

The storm littered roads and railways with downed trees that created deadly hazards and blocked travel, disrupting morning commutes. Hundreds of trains were canceled. On Sunday night, an 84-year-old male passenger in a car in Scotland and a van driver in his 60s in Northern Ireland were killed when their vehicles struck toppled trees. The UK's Met Office weather service had issued an unusual wind warning for the whole country before Storm Isha, which peaked overnight after exceeding forecasts for 90mph gusts. The Tay Road Bridge, a 1.4-mile span over the River Tay estuary in Scotland, recorded a 107mph gust, it announced on social media. A 99mph gust was recorded at Brizlee Wood radar station in northeastern England, the weather service said.

In North Yorkshire in northern England, firefighters rescued several people trapped in flooded vehicles. Ireland and the UK have been hammered since fall by gusty, wet storms that have knocked out power and caused flooding along river valleys. To protect the Dark Hedges, traffic was prohibited on part of the road in 2017, but Storey said more needs to be done, per the BBC. Crews worked to clear the site on Monday. "Because there has been snow and rain before, the ground around the base of the trees is sodden; when the wind comes they just move," he said, per the Independent. (More winter storms stories.)