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As the first of two successive storms hits the country on Wednesday afternoon, Met Éireann has warned of disruptive and damaging winds as well as the potential for flooding, power outages and snow over coming days.
A status yellow wind warning associated with Storm Dudley came into place for the entire country from noon on Wednesday, until 11.30pm on Wednesday night. During this period westerly winds were expected to reach average speeds of between 50 and 65km/h, with damaging gusts of between 80 and 110km/h.
The winds are expected to be stronger on exposed coasts and on high ground, while a combination of high tide and strong winds will lead to the possibility of flooding on Atlantic coasts. Power outages have already been reported across the country.
In an update to the situation on Wednesday afternoon, Met Éireann said Storm Dudley was already making its presence felt, with Donegal County Council warning of dangerous conditions at sea. High winds are already being experienced in most coastal areas with the public advised to stay away from coastal promenades and seashores.
Met Éireann hydrometeorologist Jennifer Canavan said Ireland was “in a period of high tides at the moment and this in combination with strong winds and stormy conditions means there is a high risk of large coastal waves and coastal flooding on Friday, especially along southern and eastern coasts.
“As such we’re urging people to take extreme care near coastal areas and paths.”
A status yellow marine gale warning is in place for all coasts of Ireland and on the Irish Sea until noon on Thursday, with winds expected to reach gale force 8 or strong gale force 9.
Storm Eunice
Met Éireann said a blustery day will follow on Thursday with a mix of bright spells and some heavy showers, before cloud, rain and strengthening winds arrive ahead of the second storm, Storm Eunice.
Met Éireann meteorologist Matthew Martin said the national forecaster expected Storm Eunice to bring further challenging conditions, “especially on Friday morning as strong winds, heavy rain and snow moves across the country”.
“At the moment it looks like northern and western areas are most likely to see the heaviest snow falls, with southern areas expected to see the strongest winds, however we’re still a few days ahead and the details of when and where are likely to change,” he said. “With this in mind, we’re urging people to keep a very close eye on the forecast and warnings for their area as these may change in the coming days.”
The UK Met Office also issued a status orange wind warning for Antrim and Derry from 2pm on Wednesday until midnight, which it said will bring a period of very strong and disruptive winds.
A yellow wind warning is in place meanwhile for Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Derry and Tyrone from 1pm on Wednesday until 6am on Thursday.
Gerry Murphy, a forecaster with Met Éireann, said earlier on Wednesday that there was a risk of power cuts later in the day as a result of Storm Dudley.
There was also a risk of “overtopping” with high tide at 5pm to 5.30pm on Wednesday, he told RTÉ Radio 1’s Today with Claire Byrne.
Friday warnings
A yellow snow, wind and rain warning is in place for Ireland from 1am on Friday until 3pm that day, with “very strong winds and falls of heavy rain, sleet and snow” expected during this time, Met Éireann said.
“Some disruption is likely along with a possibility of coastal and spot flooding,” it added.
A status orange wind warning has also been issued for Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Waterford, Galway, and Wexford from 5am on Friday to 11am that morning. Met Éireann said that as a result of Storm Eunice these areas could see severe and potentially damaging winds during the period of the orange warning, gusting up to 130km/h, higher in exposed areas.
Warnings will be further updated on Thursday morning.
Storm Eunice should clear by Friday afternoon when it will move to the west coast of England, where it is likely to cause severe disruption.
Once Storm Eunice clears, there would still be cold weather with showers of hail, sleet and snow.
The weather will remain unsettled overnight on Thursday, as Storm Eunice begins to track eastwards over Ireland through Thursday night and Friday.
Met Éireann have said the weather will be “very unsettled for the week”.
An orange marine gale and storm force warning is in place for all Irish coastal waters and on the Irish Sea on Friday, with cyclonic winds forecast to reach gale or strong gale force, and reaching storm force 10 or higher at times.
That warning is in place from just after midnight on Friday morning until 9pm that night.
Utilities
Meanwhile, Gas Networks Ireland said it does not anticipate any disruption to gas supplies during this week’s forecasted storms.
“Ireland’s gas network is one of the safest and most modern gas networks in the world and with the added security of its 14,617km of pipeline being underground it is unlikely to be impacted by adverse weather conditions,” it said.
“All works are currently scheduled to take place as normal, however as the safety of our staff, customers and the public is paramount, our teams will assess conditions locally and may defer some work if required for safety reasons.”
The utility’s emergency services will continue to operate as normal, regardless of what alert is in place, it added.
The Government committee that co-ordinates responses to emergencies met on Tuesday to prepare for the storms.
Around the country precautionary measures are being taken in case of flooding. Waterford City and County Council has said flood barriers for the City and Passage may be deployed on Thursday afternoon and the situation is being actively monitored.
The State’s crisis management team – involving Met Éireann, the OPW, local authorities, response agencies and key Government departments – will continue to liaise with Met Éireann to monitor the evolving weather patterns and intends to conduct further meetings of the group over the coming days.
The Road Safety Authority has appealed to road users to exercise caution over the coming days.