Overnight yesterday (Friday) came the first seasonal storm of the winter. Storm Arwen. It was bleak and it was black.
There wasn't so much noticeable damage in town this morning... except at Schola Ruthinensis, where a wall collapsed at one of the new buildings, a dormitory. Was this poor design (noting the unusual wall arrangement at the gables), poor workmanship or both? It has only been opened about five years. And, more alarmingly, there was damage to the new Rhos Street school, as well. The Glasdir schools, of which Rhos Street is a part, opened in 2018, in April.
Some outline districts were without power or telephone lines. Vodafone was down (update: this continued for much of the day).
Other than that serious problem, a few slates off, a fence panel or two down and some rubbish collecting in eddies was all you could find in the town centre. The most significant problem was the amount of brash and the number of boughs and trees down. According to the county council's highways people, this was the worst storm in 16 years. Staff worked throughout the night.
This tree was balancing precariously across the A494 Mold Road, supported only by a utility cable. Other boughs or trees down on the highway were between Ruthin and St Meugan's at Redrock and farther out, towards the church.
The leisure centre car park was strangely empty, apart from a marooned car, thanks to the access road being blocked. It obviously didn't deter early sportspeople, who simply walked from the school car park. That short walk probably helped their warm-up.
Cae Ddol copped it, the most dramatic being a tree that cleaved.
Look how the leaves were blown onto the temporary fencing at Cae Ddol while, in Mill Street, slates were off the roof.
And, to top it off, the planned market at the gaol was cancelled.
Update 28/11/21 at 5p.m. There were still 18 trees awaiting clearing across the county, including that blocking the leisure centre car park at Ysgol Brynhyfryd.
