Killarney businesses and home owners are counting the costs after a record breaking deluge hit the town on Tuesday evening.

One of the most ferocious rain storms ever to hit Killarney caused widespread damage and disruption.

The deluge struck at around 4pm – at time when the town was very busy as the citizenship ceremony at the INEC had just finished.

The Metoroligical station at Killarney measured nearly 50mm in the rain gauge according to monitoring website Irish Weather Online.

“This is a very very wet day in of itself but the most notable aspect is 27mm of this fell within a 30-minute period,” said the website.

“This gives a rainfall rate of 54 millimetres per hour which is classified as violent rain. This follows on from another torrential rainfall event in Tralee last Saturday and other places on various days including Drimnagh in Dublin on Tuesday.

“The excess heat and humidity along with the exceptional warm sea surface temperatures, relatively speaking to norm that is, surrounding the island are likely aiding in the intense nature of these localised downpours.”

The storm caused widespread flooding in the wider Killarney area. The Park Road was impassable near the railway bridge. The Countess Road also witnessed severe flooding.

Also on the Park Road, a house with struck by lightning.

Emergency services were called to the scene in the height of the storm, and witnesses said there was a large gaping hole left in the roof of the dwelling house after the strike.

The Omniplex reported flooding damage, as did the Gleneagle Hotel.