Met Éireann has announced a Status Orange wind alert for counties along the west coast, warning that hazardous travel conditions and possible power disruptions are likely, reports RTE.
The alert, affecting Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, and Sligo, will be active from 2pm tomorrow until 10pm.
The national forecaster has also cautioned about potential damage to power infrastructure and the risk of falling trees, with winds expected to reach near gale force levels, reports RTE.
In the meantime, a Status Orange rain warning remains in effect for County Kerry, where Met Éireann has said intense rainfall will cause extremely challenging driving conditions and could result in flooding.
This alert is expected to last until 8pm this evening.
A separate Status Yellow rain warning has also been issued, covering the rest of the Munster counties as well as Connacht, Longford, Cavan, and Donegal, reports RTE.
Today is expected to bring heavy rainfall to much of the country, with Storm Amy — the first named storm of the new storm season — set to arrive tomorrow.
The storm is expected to bring strong to near gale force and gusty south-westerly winds.
Met Éireann has stated there’s a strong chance of up to 50mm (approximately two inches) of rain falling throughout the day up to 8pm, r r
The UK Met Office has also released Status Yellow wind and rain alerts for Northern Ireland.
Met Éireann meteorologist Liz Walshe highlighted the presence of a Red marine warning in place for coastal waters from Valentia to Malin Head along the west and northwest, reports RTE.
During an interview on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne, she explained that people near the coastline are experiencing Status Red conditions, which she described as “rare and very dangerous”.
She noted that the strongest winds would impact coastal zones and advised the public to avoid these areas.
“Trees are in full leaf and especially after the rain roots might be a little bit weaker and cause more trees to fall,” she said, reports RTE.
“Just be aware tomorrow afternoon when it is windy there is a chance that you could meet some obstacles when you’re out travelling. Be aware, take care and be prepared, especially if you’re in those western and northwestern counties,” reports RTE.
John Kennelly, Director of Services for Community, Climate Action and Operational Services at Kerry County Council, said that a weather response team met yesterday and several precautions have been taken in preparation for Storm Amy.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, he mentioned that although the worst rainfall is predicted for the west and south of the county, crews across the entire area have been deployed due to the Status Orange warning.
“We’ve had experiences in the past where anticipated rainfall hasn’t materialised in certain areas and has materialised elsewhere, so all of our crews are on standby,” he added, reports RTE.
Mr Kennelly urged drivers to take extra care on their morning commute to work or school, with the heaviest rain expected from 10am to 2pm.
He said there were no major incidents to report as of this morning, but that driving conditions across the county were worsening.
“The Orange warning is in place for both the morning and evening commutes and school runs, so we are urging motorists to exercise additional caution, to allow extra time for the journeys and to avoid flooded areas and not to drive through any flooded waters. The rainfall has commenced but just from reaching out to our crews this morning we’ve no significant issues to report as of yet, but driving conditions are deteriorating, so our key message to motorists would be to allow extra time for their journeys,” he said, reports RTE.
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