A “heavy rainfall event” is expected to affect Ireland for a 24-hour period, Met Éireann has warned, with orange weather warnings for Dublin, Wicklow and Wexford from Friday into Saturday.
The orange warning for Dublin, Wexford and Wicklow comes into force at 2pm on Friday and is to remain in place until 11am on Saturday. Met Éireann says there will be “significant rainfall accumulations, especially on high ground and exposed areas”.
A number of status yellow warnings will also come into effect on Friday, with heavy and persistent rain in counties Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford expected to lead to flooding and difficult travelling conditions. The warning for these counties came into force for 24 hours from 9am on Friday.
A separate status-yellow rain warning covering counties Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Louth, Meath, Wexford, Wicklow has also been issued for a 24-hour period from 11am on Friday.
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A status yellow wind warning for counties Dublin, Louth, Meath, Wexford and Wicklow comes into force at noon on Friday and is to remain in place until 4am on Saturday. Met Éireann said the strong and gusty northeasterly winds will make travel conditions difficult and that there may be wind-related debris.
The weather event, derived from Storm Claudia, which was named earlier this week by the Spanish met service, is expected to cause “hazardous, dangerous travelling conditions”, in areas under the orange warning, and “difficult” conditions under yellow warnings.
River and surface water flooding is expected in Leinster and Munster on Friday and into the weekend, said the forecaster, while intense rainfall over a short period may “overwhelm urban drainage systems”.
While it will stay largely dry for many parts of Connacht and Ulster, “it’s going to rain a lot over parts of Leinster and Munster,” said meteorologist Liz Walsh.
It follows an already long period of heavy rain over the west and south of the country this week, meaning rain will fall on “already saturated grounds and swollen rivers”, she said.
This will intensify the likelihood of “significant flooding” across Leinster and Munster, she said.
Northeasterly winds are also expected to “compound impacts” in eastern coastal counties, she said, allowing the rain to “pack up” against high ground in these counties
“Some large accumulations of rain are expected and that’s why we have issued an orange rain warning,” she said, advising members of the public to be “cautious” and avoid unnecessary travel.
The State’s storm response body, the National Directorate for Fire & Emergency Management (NDFEM), convened a meeting of local authorities, utility providers and relevant Government departments and State agencies on Friday before the heavy rain.
Keith Leonard, national director of NDFEM, appealed to the public to be mindful of possible issues in their areas and to heed the safety advice associated with this kind of weather.
He advised the public to avoid coastal areas, open riverbanks and canal paths as “water levels and currents may be far stronger than usual”.
Mr Leonard said motorists “need to be wary of potentially hazardous conditions” in their areas.
“I’d ask them to slow down, increase their stopping distances and watch for surface water and debris on roads. If the road ahead is flooded, do not enter – turn around and find another route.”
Met Éireann has advised that weather warnings already issued may be updated, meaning extra counties could be added and times could be modified, though it is not expected to increase the level of wind warnings to orange “at this point”.
