Met Éireann issues two new weather alerts for wind and rain

Two new weather warnings have been issued a day after strong winds brought by Storm Aiden caused power outages nationwide.

Met Éireann on Sunday morning issued two new alerts. A status yellow rainfall warning is in place for counties Cork, Kerry, Limerick and Tipperary, and is valid until 2am on Monday. A yellow wind warning is in place for counties Wexford, Cork and Waterford until 2am on Monday.

The national forecaster previously warned of “very unsettled weather” this weekend, with spells of heavy and strong winds.

The rainfall alert for Sunday warns of “persistent rain” and localised flooding, with highest rainfall accumulations in mountainous regions and the southwest. Southwest winds will reach mean speeds of 50-65km/h on Sunday, with gusts of up to 90km/h.

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Early sunny spells and scattered showers will be followed by widespread rain spreading from the southwest in the afternoon. Rain will be heaviest in Munster, where there may be some spot flooding, according to Met Éireann. Highest temperatures will be 10 to 15 degrees.

Sunday night will see outbreaks of rain in all areas, clearing to heavy showers overnight. Lowest temperatures will be 5 to 7 degrees.

AA Roadwatch has advised motorists to slow down and increase breaking distance on wet roads. “Watch out for spot flooding and only drive through water if you’re sure it’s not too deep for your vehicle,” it said.

The forecast marks an improvement on Saturday’s conditions, which saw strong winds, severe gusts and multiple status weather alerts issued by Met Éireann.

Thousands of homes and businesses were left without power as Storm Aiden passed over the country, with Co Donegal being one of the worst-hit areas.

About 8,000 ESB customers were affected nationwide at one stage on Saturday, according to a spokesman for ESB Networks, but the majority of the faults were fixed by the late afternoon.

The damage was typical of a busy autumn day, and fell short of being an “emergency” situation, the spokesman said.