A wind warning remains in place until 9pm on Friday night as Storm Abigail - the first officially named storm in both Ireland and the UK - moves northwards away from Ireland.
The status of the weather warning was downgraded from orange to yellow last night but road users are being warned by AA Roadwatch to exercise caution today due to debris and spot flooding, particularly around coastal routes.
AA Roadwatch are informing drivers through their social media channels and radio broadcasts of fallen trees which are blocking some roads and are advising alternate routes.
Friday will be a cold and very blustery day; sunny spells but heavy showers about too, some of hail and thunder. Highs of only 7 to 10 c
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) November 13, 2015A fallen tree has been reported on the Woodenbridge/Aughrim Road (R747) while a fallen tree has been cleared on the N16 Sligo/Manorhamilton Road.
There are reports of debris on the M3 Dublin/Cavan Road near Dunshaughlin while in Waterford a fuel spill is running from the Dunmore Road as far as the Tramore Road.
Traffic is being diverted at J27 Birdhill with heavy delays following two separate collisions on Friday morning on the M7 Dublin/Limerick Road southbound. The road is closed from J27 Birdhill to J28 Castletroy while emergency services deal with the collisions.
An earlier collision in Wicklow has been cleared from the N11 Wexford/Dublin road northbound before J9 Glenview.
The Harry Blaney bridge in Fanad, Co Donegal remains closed as a precautionary measure due to high winds.
Gardaí are also warning people to stay away from exposed coasts and waterways.
The Road Safety Authority has urged drivers to exercise caution when driving.
The high winds also led to delays and a number of cancellations among scheduled flights at Dublin airport.
At Dublin Airport there were a large number of delays and scheduled flights from Donegal, the Isle of Man (both Aer Lingus), Shetland (Eastern Airways) and Frankfurt (Lufthansa) were cancelled.
Intending passengers are advised to contact their airline for updates.
According to Met Éireann, Friday will be cold and blustery with gusts of between 75 to 100 km/h.
Today will start off cold and windy, with heavy showers across the western half of the country. Temperatures will hit a high of 10C.
The situation is unlikely to improve over the weekend, although it will be warmer as the winds swing to the south-west.
Abigail has officially become Ireland’s first named storm.
The project is designed to raise awareness of severe weather and to ensure greater safety for the public.
Storms will be named when they are deemed to have the potential to cause a substantial impact in the UK and/or Ireland.
The two meteorological authorities received thousands of suggestions for names by email and through Facebook and Twitter.
The winning monikers for storms were: Abigail, Barney, Clodagh, Desmond, Eva, Frank, Gertrude, Henry, Imogen, Jake, Katie, Lawrence, Mary, Nigel, Orla, Phil, Rhonda, Steve, Tegan, Vernon and Wendy.
The names will be used for upcoming storms, after Abigail, as and when they arrive.
