Met Éireann warned last night that weather conditions throughout Ireland will worsen today before they begin improving tonight and early tomorrow, write Barry Roche in Cork and Daniel McConnell.
The south and south-east were the worst affected areas yesterday, with severe flooding in Cork city and parts of Waterford. Over an inch of rain fell in Cork in a 12-hour period up to 5.30 p.m..
Combined with high tides and easterly winds, this resulted in up to three feet of flooding in many parts of the city centre, particularly on streets flanking the north and south channels of the River Lee. Some motorists had to be rescued from their cars.
Around 3,000 homes in a number of areas lost electricity supply, but only 120 remained without power last night. The power cuts affected homes in and around Arklow, Cork, Crosshaven, Enniscorthy and Macroom.
Four flights bound for Cork had to be diverted to Shannon and Kerry because of the bad weather.
The AA last night warned motorists to take extra care when driving today. Road surfaces are extremely slippery as leaves have fallen on wet roads. Branches and debris are also likely to hamper traffic. There were long delays in many towns and cities last night.
Winds of 55 m.p.h. yesterday battered the south coast with speeds expected to reach 80 m.p.h. overnight.
Ferry services to France and Wales were disrupted with a number of sailings cancelled.
In Dublin, the city council requested that the Defence Forces and Civil Defence be put on standby to deal with any damage caused by flooding or fallen trees. It had teams of workers on 24-hour call to deal with any flooding or other weather-related emergencies.