A major storm is battering the west of the country and will be “at its most ferocious” between the hours of 6am and 9am, according to Met Éireann.
There is a status red “severe weather warning” in place for exposed coastal and mountain areas of Donegal, Sligo, Mayo, Galway, Clare, Limerick, Cork, Leitrim and Kerry. Wind gusts of 130 to 150km/h are possible. The warning is in effect until 2pm on Thursday.
A status red warning urges people to “take action” to protect themselves and their properties. There is a status orange alert in place for the rest of the country. This takes effect when weather has the capacity to “impact significantly” on people in the affected areas.
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Winds in parts of the west reachd nearly 150km/h after midnight and ESB networks reported power cuts in parts of the country. It said some lightning was moving into the Galway and Mayo area and that it would be morning before power was restored.
Many schools around the country are to be closed in the morning following Department of Education advice.
Drivers, especially those in high-sided vehicles, were advised to take extra care on the roads if essential travel was required. Flooding and fallen trees have been reported in many areas around the country, including Donegal, Mayo, Meath, Kildare and Kerry.
At a meeting of the National Co-ordination Group on Severe Weather on Wednesday evening, Met Éireann head of forecasting Gerald Fleming said the weather system had been “gaining strength” over the Atlantic in recent days.
“It’s already quite windy on the west coast but it’s going to swing in overnight and those winds are going to increase,” he said.
“The effects will be felt particularly along the west coast, and specifically the northwest coast.”
He said there were a number of reasons why the storm could be “potentially dangerous”.
“Partly, it’s the mix of very poor weather we’ve already had in conjunction with what’s coming,” he said. “For some parts of the country – Galway, Clare Limerick – this storm will be at its most ferocious ... between the hours of 6am and 9am.
“For the early part of that period, winds will be at their most severe over Donegal and Mayo, and they will then move down through Galway and into Limerick and Clare as we go through dawn and into about 9am.
“This is a time when many people will be out and about. We think it’s important that people take note that this is a potentially dangerous storm and people should take care to keep themselves safe.”
Mr Fleming said the storm is comparable with that which struck the west coast last January and cost the State millions.
“At the moment the tidal situation is not so threatening so we don’t anticipate the same level of coastal flooding,” he said. “But nonetheless, in terms of wind speeds, they would be comparable to those events.”
He added the winds are expected to begin slowly abating from about noon today. “I would anticipate the warnings will be extended beyond midday but at a lower level,” he said.
The east coast will experience “strong winds” but they are not expected to be severe enough to cause structural damage.
Delays were reported at Dublin Airport as a number of flights were delayed before landing. Power cuts have been reported in the Huntstown, Mulhuddart and Clonsilla areas of west Dublin. There was also a fault in the Enniscorthy and Monglass area of Wexford, and another in Knockcroghery area of Roscommon. ESB Networks crews have been repairing faults.
In the west, the Cliffs of Moher visitor centre will remain closed until at least midday on Thursday when a decision on whether it’s safe to reopen will be made.
Centre director Katherine Webster confirmed: “We will be staying closed until red warning clears. The operations manage on duty will then decide whether the reopen. We would ask people to stay away from cliffs while the alert is in place as there will be no staff on site. People should follow social media or call the centre to double check whether we are open.”
Staff and visitors were evacuated the site just last month as storm-force winds battered the west coast.
Given its exposed location on the edge of the Atlantic, high winds have previously lifted vehicles and people off the ground at the popular attraction was visited by over a million people last year.
Staff follow clear established safety protocols to deal with severe weather conditions at the 700ft high cliffs.
The attraction was closed twice in a single week in February 2013 after winds topped 120kmh.
Neap tides have minimised the flooding risk, but Galway City Council said it had crews on standby.
It said there was some potential for flooding in and around the city, while road conditions have been extremely difficult throughout the county and across the border in west Mayo.
Gusts of up to 130km/h were already hitting Galway city and county on Wednesday night, with a predicted speed of 150km/h.
The RNLI Aran island lifeboat was asked to transport Inis Oírr’s resident doctor back from Inis Meáín on Wednesday morning in a heavy swell. There is no nursing cover on Inis Oírr, while Inishturk, Co Mayo, has no basic medical cover at all.
Local authorities and emergency services have advised the public to avoid exposed shores and riverbanks, and some schools in coastal areas are expected to close until conditions ease.
Schools are to close in Kerry on Thursday and members of the public have been asked not to venture out and to insure they have enough drinking water.
Streets of Kerry’s major towns were practically empty late on Wednesday as the and flooding began to hit the county shortly before 5 pm and residents were strongly warned to stay indoors.
The N22 between Tralee and Killarney was buffeted by wind and spot flooding was appearing on this and minor roads.
Kerry County Council issued fresh warnings to residents and motorists .
The council warned the public not to venture outside and asked farmers and others to secure all property.
“Kerry County Council’s advice to the public is not to venture outside and to take all reasonable precautions to secure their property. Additionally the public are asked to secure loose objects such as bins, gates, signage which could fly off in the wind and cause injury to others.”
Met Éireann is providing updates on its website andinformation on ESB faults is available at powercheck.ie
ESB urged anyone seeing damaged power lines not to touch them and to ring its 24-hour emergency line 1850 372999 immediately.
The national weather service said scattered showers would spread across the country tonight, some heavy and with a risk of hail and thunder. This would lead to spot flooding in parts of the west and the north.
Some of the showers will turn wintry on higher ground. Temperatures will fall to between 0 and 3 degrees, with the possibility of some frost and ice in sheltered areas.
Thursday morning will also be stormy, with gale force westerly winds and further severe gusts in places.
Winds will slowly ease off later in the afternoon and evening but there will be more heavy and pilrolonged showers spreading from the north west during the morning and through the afternoon.
