Status red rain warnings have been issued for counties Galway and Cork with Storm Bert expected to bring heavy downpours that could lead to severe flooding.
The National Directorate for Fire & Emergency Management (NDFEM) has urged members of the public in areas covered by red warnings “to shelter in place” while they are in effect.
Local response teams are preparing for challenging conditions in affected counties, it said in a statement.
The NDFEM, Met Éireann and relevant agencies met on Friday morning to discuss the weather warnings associated with Storm Bert.
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Met Éireann said the worst of the rain was expected in west Galway and west Cork where there could be damage to homes and businesses and treacherous travelling conditions. The red warnings come into effect at midnight on Friday and run until 10am on Saturday.
A status orange rain warning will come into force at midnight covering counties Waterford, Kerry, Clare, Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim. The forecaster said Storm Bert will bring “intense falls of rain over a short period of time” with impacts including surface flooding, possible river flooding, very difficult travelling conditions and poor visibility. This warning is to runs until 10am on Saturday.
A status yellow warning issued for Leinster, Munster, Connacht, Cavan and Monaghan says there will be very strong southeast to south winds coupled with heavy rain as a result of the storm. Gusts of more than 90km/h are expected in Galway in the early hours of Saturday. Met Éireann said the possible impacts include localised flooding, travel disruption and fallen trees. The alert will be in force from 10pm on Friday until noon on Saturday.
Keith Leonard, national director of the NDFEM, said: “It is quite clear that we will have challenging weather conditions at local level in many counties in the west and southwest. Local authority severe weather teams are activated and are preparing for the storm’s approach.
“For those in areas affected by red level rain and wind warnings, I would particularly stress that the safest advice for those affected is to shelter in place and do not travel during the duration of the warning. As weather events are changeable, members of the public should monitor Met Éireann’s ongoing advice and act accordingly.”
He described Storm Bert as a “very complex storm, a multi=hazard storm event, and warned that the slow moving storm would impact much of the country stretching from Waterford all the way up the south, west and north coasts as far as Donegal.
He urged people in the path of the storm to ensure their mobile phones were fully charged and reminded people that conditions can change “very quickly” with counties under an orange alert also at grave risk
He warned people to stay away from “very dangerous” coastal areas and said that anyone driving should exercise extreme caution, particularly with flooded roads, with even stretches that look passable posing a potential risk.
Met Éireann meteorologist Liz Walsh said Storm Bert was a “multi-hazard” weather system which could bring wind speeds gusting up to 110km/h, intense rain and “even a bit of snow in places”, but not all necessarily together.
A further complication, she said, was the slow speed at which Storm Bert was moving.
She said heavy rainfall was expected on high ground where snow may still be lying. The rainfall and rising temperatures could give rise to melting snow, which she said could lead to flooding. In Donegal, she said, the was an expectation of further snow and ice, but for most of the country “the good thing is that the cold of recent days is gone”.
A separate status yellow warning has been issued by the UK Met Office for Northern Ireland for the period from midnight until 11am on Saturday. “Storm Bert will bring a spell of rain, preceded by snow in places, on Friday night into Saturday which may cause some disruption,” it states.
A separate yellow alert says Storm Bert “will bring strong winds for a time on Saturday, which may cause some disruption in places”. This comes into effect for Northern Ireland from 5am and ends at 7pm on Saturday.
Meanwhile, low temperature and ice warnings covering the State expired at midday on Friday.
Temperatures were forecast to fall to minus 5 in some areas overnight, with wintry showers of rain, hail, sleet and snow continuing.
“Tonight will be very wet and windy as Storm Bert tracks to the northwest of Ireland,” according to Met Éireann’s latest forecast. “Heavy rain will extend across the country from the southwest, causing flooding in some areas. Falls of sleet and snow are possible in the north and northwest too. There will be very strong and gusty south to southeast winds, with gales or strong gales on coasts. Lowest temperatures of 0 to 5 degrees early in the night, increasing overnight.”
Very wet and windy conditions associated with Storm Bert are forecast to continue on Saturday “with widespread heavy rain causing flooding in some areas”.
“The rain will ease for a time in the midafternoon as it moves eastward but then more showery rain will move in from the west and will be heavy at times. There will be very strong and gusty southeast to south winds, with gales or strong gales near coasts. Highest temperatures of 12 to 15 degrees.”
Cork County Council has also urged members of the public not to travel during the status red rain warning for the county.
The Severe Weather Assessment Team at the local authority convened this afternoon in advance of the weather event. The local authority will have staff monitoring the situation in vulnerable areas such as Bantry and Midleton throughout the night.
Bus Éireann has cancelled a number of its services operating in counties Cork, Kerry, Galway and Mayo due to the weather warnings. Passengers have been advised to check its website before travelling.
Looking further ahead, Met Éireann expects unsettled conditions for the rest of the weekend and early next week.
Sunday is to be a windy day “with fresh to strong south to southwest winds and gales or strong gales along coasts”.
“While many areas will remain dry with sunny spells, scattered heavy showers will occur too, the focus of these across Atlantic counties. Highest temperatures of 10 to 13 degrees,” it said.
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