Updated 1.56pm

ALMOST EIGHT HUNDRED homes remain without power this afternoon after Storm Eva hit large parts of the country with strong winds overnight.

ESB Powercheck ESB Powercheck

Some 781  homes – almost half of which are in Milltown in Dublin – don’t have electricity today as crews work to restore power before Christmas Day.

At its peak, around 6,000 homes and businesses across the country were without power last night, the majority of them in Cork and Kildare.

“We hope to have everyone back before Santa comes this evening,” spokesperson for ESB Bernadine Maloney told RTE Radio One’s Morning Ireland this morning.

ESB staff will be working throughout Christmas Eve to restore power to people around the country.

Weather warning

Earlier, Met Éireann issued a yellow alert weather warning for the final hours of Storm Eva, as heavy winds continued to hit Munster and Leinster.

The warning was issued at 5am today and was valid until 11am.

That's Ireland under all that wind

The storm looks set to have blown over* for Christmas Day, however. The forecast for tomorrow promises a cold day with some rain throughout parts of the country.

The full forecast from Met Éireann for tomorrow says:

Christmas Day will start off cold and dry in many central and northern counties with remaining frost clearing. Rain in the south will spread northwards during the day and wet in most places through the afternoon with persistent rain. Cold for much of the day except in the south with afternoon temperatures ranging from 4 or 5 degrees Celsius in northern counties to 12 or possibly 13 degrees Celsius in some southern parts, but temperatures rising into double figures countrywide early tomorrow night.

*Sorry

Read: Homecoming flights delayed as Storm Eva brings 120km winds >