Warnings for strong winds are displayed to traffic using the M25 motorway, near Swanley, south of London on Sunday. AFP

Airlines cancelled 102 flights in and out of Dublin airport on Sunday due to a storm that was forecast to rage for the rest of the day, the airport operator said.

Storm Isha had also forced 24 aborted landings by 1700 GMT, while 27 flights opted to divert to other airports, Dublin Airport said in a post on social media platform X.

Ireland's national meteorological service Met Eireann issued an orange weather warning early on Sunday for most of the country, including Dublin, meaning the winds could significantly impact people, property and activity in an area.

Parts of the west and northwest were placed under a more severe red warning.

Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport cancelled 130 flights scheduled for Monday as a preventive measure because of strong winds expected when Storm Isha reaches the Netherlands, the airport said on Sunday.

Britain and Ireland braced on Sunday as Storm Isha unleashed rain and potentially deadly winds that were expected to batter a wide swath of land and disrupt travel into the start of the work week.

The Met Office, the national weather service, issued an unusual blanket wind warning for nearly all of the UK and said there was a possibility of a tornado in Northern Ireland, and parts of northern England and Scotland.

A person looks at high waves in Salthill, Galway, Ireland, on Sunday during Storm Isha. AP

"There’s the potential for danger-to-life and damaging winds potentially leading to some power cuts in places. Some large waves around coastal regions could bring some debris onto roads and trees could come down,” meteorologist Tom Morgan said.

A forecast that gusts could reach 90 miles per hour (145 kilometers per hour) was realised in midafternoon in the mountainous Snowdonia region of Wales.

Parts of the UK have been hammered since fall by a series of gusty and wet storms that have toppled trees, knocked out power and led to flooding along river valleys. isha is the ninth named storm since September.

The railway operator for Scotland halted train service on Sunday night and into Monday's rush hour. Network Rail, which owns the railway infrastructure in England, Scotland and Wales, said it was placing speed limits on most lines to prevent engines from running into fallen trees and other debris, and trains would be affected into the morning commute.

In the west of Ireland, counties Donegal, Galway and Mayo were warned of extremely strong and possibly destructive gusts from Sunday afternoon into the morning. People were told to stay away from the coast.

Agencies