People making journeys later on Wednesday at the start of their Christmas break have been warned to expect extreme winds and storms in some parts of the country, particularly in the west.
Temperatures are set to drop to just above freezing in some areas with hail, sleet and icy patches expected and some snow is predicted for Christmas Eve.
Met Éireann has issued three weather warnings, with Storm Eva due to bring gusts of up to 120km/h ahead of Christmas and has predicted some snow for Christmas Day.
From lunchtime on Wednesday, counties in the west and northwest are forecast to face the strong winds which are to peak at up to 120km/h between 4pm and 9pm.
So far, gardaí say there are no weather-related problems affecting roads and traffic. However, in light of the severe warnings from Met Éireann, a Garda spokesman urged extra caution.
"People should drive carefully, particularly in the West, " said the spokesman. "But everybody, everywhere, needs to drive carefully also and don't drive and drive."
A status orange weather warning, the second highest weather alert from Met Éireann, has been issued for Donegal, Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Clare. It remains in place until midnight on Wednesday night.
A status yellow warning applies in Leinster, Cavan, Monaghan, Leitrim, Roscommon, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford from 1pm until midnight on Wednesday.
This warning is the lowest alert, telling people to “be aware” in these areas so they can take preventative action.
Southerly winds with average speeds of 60-65km/h and gusts of up to 100-110km/h are expected in these areas.
The third weather warning, also status yellow, applies to counties Donegal, Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Clare and states that Storm Eva is expected “to track to the west and northwest of Ireland” later on Wednesday and Wednesday night.
The storm will bring “some severe winds to coastal counties”, Met Éireann said. The storm warning will also be in place from 1pm on Wednesday until midnight.
Forecasts currently predict Christmas Eve will be cold, with sunny spells and blustery hail, rain and sleet showers.
Highest temperatures during the day will reach 7 degrees and during the night they will drop to between 0-3 degrees, with frost in some areas.
It will be a cold and sunny start to Christmas Day, but wet and windy conditions will develop around midday and spread across the country. The day will start cold, bright and sunny in places.
“But wet and windy weather will affect Munster and south Leinster through the morning and will spread to all areas through the afternoon and evening. It may be preceded by some wet snow for a short time, on northern hills,” said Met Éireann.
Temperatures will reach 10 degrees and rise to 14 on St Stephen’s Day, which will be mild and breezy with patches of rain.
Storm Eva follows close on the heels of Storm Desmond, which caused widespread flooding in midland, southern and western areas earlier this month.
More than 100 businesses affected by the flooding have applied for funds from a relief scheme operated by the Irish Red Cross.
The organisation said it had received 103 applications as of 4pm on Tuesday, with over 41 per cent of the businesses applying for more than €5,000.
Forty-three of the applications have already been sent to the bank for payment, the Red Cross said. Of these, 19 were from Galway and 11 from Cork.
Six of the paid applications are from Mayo, three from Leitrim, three from Donegal and one from Roscommon.
Eleven claims were rejected, the humanitarian body said. Three of those had flood insurance, two were farms and three did not pay commercial rates.
Fifteen applications remain with local authorities and 24 remain to be processed by the Red Cross.
In total, 13 have been sent back to the applicants. The organisation said this was usually due to an absence of documentation.
Separately, the Department of Social Protection said assistance had been provided to 112 households affected by flooding following Storm Desmond.
Some 160 payments were issued totalling approximately €100,000, with the overall average payment at about €620.
The payments primarily relate to immediate income support but also include some payments to cover replacement of household items and furniture.
Most support has been provided in Galway (35 cases) and Mayo (23 cases).
Support was also provided to affected households in other counties including Clare, Kerry, Sligo, Westmeath and Roscommon.
The department said it was the experience of its Community Welfare Service staff that it can take some time for those affected to make contact to seek support.
