Storm Callum weather warnings in Ireland have been downgraded, but severe conditions continue to cause havoc as they sweep across the country.

Gusts of 124km/h (77mph) were recorded at Belmullet in Co Mayo on Friday morning as the storm battered the west of Ireland.

More than 60,000 homes and businesses were left without power across the island.

Several flights were cancelled out of Dublin and Belfast due to the storm on Friday morning, but airports were otherwise operating as normal.

But, interestingly, the town hit hardest by the Storm is actually in Wales, reports our sister title WalesOnline .

There are 27 flood alerts in place for Wales with four of them in the most serious category.

However one Valleys town seems to be suffering more than anywhere else - Aberdare.

Roads are closed, trains are been evacuated and sand bags are being issued by the council.

The Met Office has said that the Valleys will be hit hardest by Storm Callum over Friday and Saturday with more rain falling in two days than normally falls in October.

The River Cynon has flooded at several points, according to the leader of RCT Council Andrew Morgan.

And Natural Resources Wales says that river levels are expected to remain high over the weekend."

River levels in the area are almost 2m higher than what is typical for the time of year.

Trains

It is understood from Network Rail that that the train has not derailed but is stranded.

The railway line between Fernhill and Aberdare now looks more like a river.

According to Arriva Trains Wales, services won't run to Aberdare, Cwmbach and Fernhill.

One train is stranded near Penrhiwceiber in the middle of rising water.

Brad Williams, 19, was on his way back from the University of South Wales where he is a student.

He is now stuck on the train as the water is rising around it.

He said: "We have been here for about an hour.

"I’m stuck on the Aberdare train in the middle of the track just passed Penrhiwceiber Station.

"We are literally two minutes away from the station.

"The fire service have been called to evacuate the train.

"The water level is much higher now than when we stopped.

"There is no way the train can go forward or back. Because we are on a slant it is hard to tell the water level.

"Hopefully I will get home soon!"

Stagecoach will accept relevant rail tickets on services 60 and 60A.

Roads

The River Cynon has flooded over its banks at several points making roads impassable.

People have been posting pictures on social media of the chaos.

Aberdare Rugby Club tweeted the following advice: "Both senior games called off this weekend due to the weather.

"Don’t go out unless you’ve built an ark!"

The A4059 in both directions is closed, due to flooding from A4233 Tesco Roundabout to Wellington Street.

The council has closed the road due to flooding within Tesco's land.

These pictures are the current state of the road.

Some schools also had to close early.

St. John Baptist Church In Wales High School tweeted: "Due to the inclement weather and road closures we have taken the decision to close the school early at 2.30pm. Pupils travelling on buses will be transported home. Pupils being collected by car will be kept until collected."

Met Eireann said an orange weather alert would remain in place until 5pm on Friday for counties Donegal, Galway, Mayo and Sligo, but the forecaster lifted the warning for the rest of Ireland on Friday morning.

An orange warning had been in place for all coastal counties across the Republic and Met Eireann had earlier warned of potential risk to life and property.

Network operator ESB reported multiple faults, with counties Cork, Kerry and Donegal among the worst hit.

The operator issued a warning via Twitter for people to be careful if they come across any fallen trees and to be aware that there may also be downed power cables.

In Northern Ireland, about 1,000 homes and businesses experienced power loss.

The Met Office had issued a yellow weather warning for Northern Ireland.

The National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG) met in Dublin on Friday morning to review the storm's impact and to co-ordinate any necessary response.

In a statement, the NECG said Storm Callum had made its way across the country as forecast by Met Eireann with the worst of the storm affecting the west coast.

"Fortunately it did not hit in all areas as hard as it could have, resulting in minimal disruption," the statement said.

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The group said that even though the worst of the storm had passed, people should still stay away from coastal areas for the duration of the orange warning.

They advised motorists not to drive through flooded areas and to anticipate strong cross-winds and other hazards such as falling or fallen trees.

In Galway, the local authority had put flood gates in place in Salthill and a 80-metre portable dam was installed at Spanish Arch.

The NECG was widely criticised for failing to implement a red warning alert during Storm Ali. Two people died in that storm last month.