Around 3,000 customers remain without power following extensive damage to the network caused by Storm Darragh, NIE Networks has said.
And while the operator said it will be working to restore power to homes as quickly as possible, some homes may have to wait until Tuesday.
Around 95,000 customers were hit by power cuts over the course of the storm following sustained gusts of up to 70mph.
At Darragh’s peak, over 48,000 homes were without power.
An amber warning for wind – the second highest level of weather warning – had been issued from 1am-3pm on Saturday. A yellow wind warning was then in place until 6am on Sunday.
Among the events cancelled on Saturday was the Christmas Market in Belfast. It re-opened to visitors on Sunday but as a knock-on effect traffic around the city centre ground to a halt as shoppers made their way in during one of the busiest weekends of the year.
Alex Houston, Network Operations Manager for NIE Networks, said his team had been dealing with over 900 faults across the network as a result of storm damage.
“Our teams will be working to restore customers as quickly as they can,” he said.
Read more
“We estimate that the vast majority will be restored by Monday evening however there is the potential that small pockets will remain off supply into Tuesday.”
Adding to the power problems, electricity generation was temporarily suspended at Ballylumford, one of Northern Ireland’s main power stations, after the natural gas-fired power station reported structural damage to one of its smaller chimneys.
The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) said 1,336 incidents were reported on our roads, over 1,000 of which were caused by fallen trees and branches
Essential travel only was advised on Saturday and there were several road traffic accidents, one resulting in a Translink driver needing hospital treatment as his double decker bus left the road near Belfast International Airport.
A substantial number of road closures remain in place, and road users are advised to plan their journeys in advance, including in Lurgan where a large tree came down to block Cottage Road. Property owner John O’Donnell said a specialist tree surgeon will be needed to remove the fallen tree.
Chainsaws were also needed across roads in Belfast, including along the Falls Road, to help remove fallen debris and make them passable again.
At one point on Saturday morning there were no trains running in Northern Ireland but journeys have now resumed, with knock-on delays.
Bus services, flights and ferries were also affected with many travellers seeing weekend plans cancelled.
All six Irish Premiership games scheduled for Saturday were called off, with late postponements leaving fans in an “appalling situation”, according to Communities Minister Gordon Lyons.
The strongest gusts on Saturday included 78mph at Orlock Head, Co Down; 71mph at Killowen, Co Down; and 68mph at Magilligan, Co Londonderry
NIE Networks is now facing a challenge to restore power to affected homes and businesses.
Mr Houston added: “At this stage we have worked through a lot of the faults which impact on larger numbers of customers and are now moving towards those faults where small numbers are affected.
“The public are reminded to stay clear of any damaged electricity equipment, keep children and animals away and to report any incidents of damage immediately to the NIE Networks Customer Helpline on 03457 643 643.”
On Sunday afternoon, NIE Networks manned community assistance centres at several locations around Northern Ireland to provide a warm place for those affected to stay warm..
Simon Grant travelled from Newry to help out at Cookstown Leisure Centre.
“We’re here to provide a service and reassure people that NIE is doing all it can to have power restored as quickly as possible, and that we are in constant contact with all the relevant authorities to make sure that happens,” he said.
Cookstown resident Thomas McDonald, who has been without power at home since the early hours of Saturday morning, said the assistance centre was welcome, but added that he had only found out about it from a neighbour who hadn’t lost power.
“With no internet and no social media there will be a lot of people who maybe needed the assistance but didn’t know it was available,” he said.
“That shows just how vital it is to get the supplies restored as quickly as possible.
“I’m fortunate enough to have been able to take the family out for breakfast and dinner.
“I have an office in the town with a kitchen, so we went there for breakfast this morning (Sunday) but some will be sitting at home alone in the cold, with no television, no heating and isolated.”
On Sunday morning around 60 homes in the immediate Cookstown area remained affected, though that number had been reduced to single figures by Sunday afternoon as NIE worked overnight to restore the supply.
Members of the public have been asked to check in on relatives, friends and neighbours who may require further support and to also ensure that their power cut has been reported.
Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd thanked the multi-agency staff “who have once again risen to the challenge and have worked together very effectively to keep the public safe”.
“When those who could were staying indoors, teams from my department were outside working in the atrocious weather conditions to keep people safe. Infrastructure staff were out on the ground all weekend monitoring river levels and removing accumulated material as well as clearing debris and trees off the roads to get all major routes open. I want to thank and pay tribute to them for doing so,” he said.
“I also want to commend all of the emergency services who have been to the forefront of the weekend’s operation keeping people safe in very difficult conditions. Thank you also to the Community Resilience Groups who were kept up to date with advance notice of severe weather warnings so that they were prepared and ready to respond in their communities. We will continue to work with other agencies as the clear up continues.”
NIE Networks will open community assistance centres tomorrow from noon-2pm and 5-7pm to offer assistance to those still without power: