London, Dec 7 (IANS): Tens of thousands of homes were left without power, rail and air travel faced disruptions, and sports events were cancelled across the UK on Saturday as storm Darragh struck.

According to the National Grid, around 60,000 premises were without electricity, including over 35,000 in Wales and 19,000 in the South West, Xinhua news agency reported.

Cardiff Airport closed its runway until Saturday afternoon to ensure safety. Flights at other airports, such as Liverpool and Manchester, faced cancellations or delays throughout the day.

The National Rail said that the storm was expected to bring "significant disruption with heavy rain and wind," with services across England, Wales and Scotland likely to be affected throughout the weekend.

Sporting events, including the Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool scheduled for Saturday, were postponed or cancelled on safety grounds due to severe weather and high winds.

A rare red warning for wind, issued by the Met Office, is in effect for South West England and Wales until midday Saturday, indicating a potential danger to life due to the severe weather. Several amber and yellow warnings for wind and rain are also in place across other parts of the country. In the meantime, over 100 flood warnings and alerts are in place.

In Ireland, around 400,000 homes and businesses were without power, several flights were canceled, and rail services were disrupted as a result of Darragh, the fourth named storm of the season.