Flood warning issued for Shannon estuary

Weather conditions similar to those which caused severe flooding in Cork and Waterford last October could hit the Shannon estuary area tomorrow, Met Éireann has warned.

Heavy rains and south westerly winds of up to 80 m.p.h., combined with what Met Éireann forecasters describe as "unusually high" tides, could cause the river to break its banks, flooding areas surrounding the estuary.

Similar conditions led to flooding which submerged parts of Cork and Waterford under several feet of water last October.

Met Éireann forecaster Mr Vincent O'Shea said that while the weather was unlikely to be as bad as in October, there was potential for flooding.

"The spring tides are unusually high at 4.35 metres and that can cause problems with river floods. The most likely area to be affected is the Shannon estuary. The storm winds, heavy rain and high tides caused the flooding in Cork and Waterford last October. There are similar conditions now, but not to the same extent."

Rains are unlikely to be as heavy as previously. However, gusts of 80 m.p.h. are expected, particularly in the north west of the country. Winds of 82 m.p.h. on New Year's Day caused two stationary aircraft to collide at Dublin Airport, ripped part of the roof from the National Aquatic Centre in Blanchardstown, west Dublin, and caused extensive damage to homes in north and west Dublin.

Mild temperatures are forecast for the rest of the week and while the weather will remain unsettled, the severe storms that left almost 150,000 homes without power around the country on Friday night are unlikely to return.

The storms, which affected most of the country on Friday, led to large-scale flooding and felled trees, particularly in the midlands, west and north-west.

Severe floods in Longford forced the closure of part of the Dublin-Sligo railway line yesterday. Roads were closed in Clare, Kerry and Monaghan.

The Camolin river burst its banks in Co Longford, making the Sligo-Dublin line impassable between Longford and Edgeworthstown.

Iarnród Éireann spokesman Mr Barry Kenny said the company was watching developments closely and hoped to have the line fully open again by late last night or early this morning.

Thousands of acres of land were water-logged in the midlands and with further rain forecast, farming leaders are concerned about the level of hardship which might occur.

In Monaghan, the R183 road between Clones and Newbliss was closed yesterday due to flooding. In Clare, the N18 Limerick-Galway route was closed on Saturday for one and a half hours. In Killarney, the main tourist route, the Ring of Kerry at Moll's Gap (N71), was also closed yesterday.

In Galway city, winds blew the roof from a national school and a number of motorists had to be rescued by the fire services from flood waters in Salthill. It is likely that the national school at Tirellan on the Headford road will be closed for some time as a result of losing its roof during Friday night's storms.

The promenade at Salthill was closed to traffic during the early hours of Saturday morning after a number of cars stalled in the flood waters between the Claddagh and Seapoint.

Galway fire brigade pulled the cars from the water and the road was re-opened by about 9 a.m. on Saturday. The River Suck in Ballinasloe burst its banks yesterday, leaving the main road impassable.