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Live BlogLAST UPDATE | 54 mins ago
FOUR COUNTIES ARE under Status Orange rain warnings this afternoon, with Status Yellow warnings in place for ten other counties.
The Orange rainfall warnings kicked in for counties Waterford, Dublin, Wicklow and Louth at midday and lasts into tomorrow.
Elsewhere, counties Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Wexford, Tipperary, Cavan, Monaghan, Louth and Meath are all under Status Yellow rain warnings until tomorrow.
Met Éireann has said spells of “very heavy rain” will be falling on “already saturated ground”, with the worst impacts expected for areas that were already severely affected by flooding in recent days.
Speaking this afternoon Keith Leonard of the National Emergency Coordination Group said that people with discretion to do so in Waterford, Dublin, Wicklow and Louth should work from home tomorrow.
There has been some localised flooding in some areas this afternoon with flooding on the DART line in Dublin partially suspending travel in both directions.
The Emergency Department at Mercy University Hospital (MUH) in Cork city has been temporarily closed due to flooding.
The A&E has shut for essential maintenance to ensure the safety of patients and staff.
The hospital said anyone requiring urgent care should consider alternatives such as out-of-hours GP services, local pharmacies or injury units, with details available on the HSE website.
In an emergency or life-threatening situation, the public is advised to call 112 or 999.
MUH said it is working to restore full services as quickly as possible and will issue updates on reopening when available.
In Louth, extra sandbags were delivered to Carlingford before high tide this afternoon.
Sandbags are also in place in areas which were affected last week, including Cluan Enda and Bay Estate in Dundalk.
High tide in Blackrock on Thursday. 🌊 pic.twitter.com/v3wZxA7Ml7
— Louth County Council (@louthcoco) February 5, 2026
In Spain and Portugal, the impact of Storm Leonardo yesterday continues to be felt, with flooding and disruption across parts of the Iberian Peninsula.
A man has died in southern Portugal after his car was engulfed by rising floodwaters, while in Spain a girl remains missing after being swept away by a swollen river in Málaga province.
In Andalusia, around 4,000 people have been evacuated from their homes, with dozens of roads closed due to flooding and landslides.
Although Spain’s weather agency has lifted the highest alert level in the south, it has warned that another storm system is expected over the weekend.
Around 40 centimetres of rain fell in just 24 hours yesterday across Spain and Portugal.
There’s a number of train delays as a result of some coastal flooding in south Dublin – here is the latest from Irish Rail:
Update:
— Iarnród Éireann (@IrishRail) February 5, 2026
DART services are operating in both DIRECTIONS
➡️Malahide/Howth to Lansdowne Road
➡️Greystones/Bray to Dún Laoghaire.
DART +20 expected.
Northern +15
Belfast +15
Park Tunnel +5
Maynooth/M3 +5
ℹ️https://t.co/QUMv5YRV0H https://t.co/dq02Lyai6I
Wicklow County Council says it remains prepared to respond to ongoing weather conditions, as many rivers in the county are still close to or above bank-full levels, although most have receded from last week’s peak.
Along the coast, spring high tides combined with strong winds and coastal surge have caused wave overtopping at Wicklow Town’s Promenade, Bray’s seafront and Arklow’s North Beach revetment.
A foamy looking Bray seafront pic.twitter.com/oghh4p8Ybb
— Carlow Weather (@CarlowWeather) February 5, 2026
The council warned that coastal flooding may also occur in other exposed areas and urged the public to stay away from these locations for safety reasons.
“Where possible, members of the public who are in a position to work from home are advised to do so,” the council said.
“This will help reduce traffic on roads, some of which remain damaged following recent weather events, and will assist in maintaining access for essential services across the county.”
Some images from this afternoon, thir third one showing Clontarf in Dublin where there are cars diverting away from the coast road due to flooding.
Grange Park, Rathfarnham
Victoria Bridge outside Newbridge, Kildare
Clontarf, Dublin 3
If you’re wondering just how bad the flooding must be to see the DART not running along a large stretch of track, it’s very bad.
This is the scene in Seapoint this afternoon, one of several DART stations where the track is under water.
Fingal County Council is warning of a number of disruptions due to the inclement weather.
Estuary Road in Malahide is temporarily closed off between the Old Yellow Walls Road junction and the Estuary Rd/Seatown Roundabout by Recycling Centre due to high tides.
Balbriggan Road Barnageeragh to Skerries Coast Road is also closed, with diversions in place in both cases.
This is the scene at Wicklow Harbour with the local county council urging people to stay away from the seafront and promenade at Wicklow Town.
Due to high tides and high easterly winds, the public is asked to stay away from the following areas:
— Wicklow County Council (@wicklowcoco) February 5, 2026
Wicklow Town Seafront and promenade
East Pier and North Pier, Wicklow Town
Stay back, stay high, stay dry.#OrangeWeatherWarning #WicklowPier #WicklowHarbour… pic.twitter.com/Aprz3D7axJ
Irish Rail has reiterated in the last 20 mins that services in both directions remain suspended between Lansdown Road and Bray.
There is also a knock-on impacts for other services.
North & Southbound services remain suspended between Lansdown Rd-Bray.
— Iarnród Éireann (@IrishRail) February 5, 2026
Rosslare services affected by line closure above & between Enniscorthy-Wexford.
Knock-on delays are expected in the city.
LEAP cards valid on all TFI services in the affected areas. -AD #WeatherWatch
In response to other posts on social media, Irish Rail has said there is no time for the expected reopening of the closed section of the line with no guarantee it will resume today.
The National Emergency Coordination Group has just published some updated advice reflecting what Leonard said earlier on and saying that there is “a likelihood of flooding today and tomorrow”.
“Significant rainfall is expected in areas already affected by flooding over the last period. The NECG has emphasised that, due to river flows, heavy rain in one county can impact on flood-prone areas in another, even where less significant rain has fallen. The risk of flooding will continue into the weekend as upland flood peaks move down through the catchments,” the group said in a statement.
It adds:
Those in the impacted counties, who have the discretion to work from home tomorrow, Friday, are urged to do so in order to free up roads for essential services.
Luas Green Line services are operating again, but with some delays.
Please be advised that Green Line services are now operating with delays due to an earlier non-Luas related road traffic collision. Luas tickets are valid on Dublin Bus for the duration of this service disruption. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. @TFIupdates
— Luas (@Luas) February 5, 2026
The Marsh Road in Drogheda, Co Louth is badly flooded this afternoon, according to the county council.
⚠️ Marsh Road to Mornington badly flooded. pic.twitter.com/yg59DSeK4h
— Louth County Council (@louthcoco) February 5, 2026
South Dublin County Council crews are dealing with flooding in Glenasmole in the Dublin Mountains.
They are reminding people not to bypass ‘Road Closed’ signs or drive through floodwater.
SDCC road crews are out responding to flooding report at Glenasmole.
— SDCC (@sdublincoco) February 5, 2026
•Do not bypass Road Closed signs – the road ahead is unsafe, the damage may be hidden beneath water, and you may be putting your life at risk.
•Do not drive through floodwater – turn back and use another… pic.twitter.com/rO5YHf3URA
The chair of the National Emergency Coordination Group has said that Dublin, Wicklow, Louth and Waterford are a “key focus” over the next 24 to 48 hours.
Keith Leonard told RTÉ’s News at One that the group held a meeting at midday about preparations that are being put in place, including temporary flood defenses, providing sandbags and monitoring river levels.
“Unfortunately, with high tides and surface flooding and river levels, we’re really seeing difficult conditions for the foreseeable number of days,” Leonard said.
He said that anyone who is able to work from home tomorrow should do so as roads in those affected counties “will be fairly heavily disrupted”.
Leonard also said there is a level of uncertainty as to exactly where flooding will happen tomorrow, but added: “I think we’re going to see a lot of flooding across roads tomorrow and the possibility of, unfortunately, dwellings and business premises affected across the region”.
“As I say, Dublin remains a key focus for us from tomorrow and into Saturday.”
Transport for Ireland has said there is some disruption to bus services in Dublin this afternoon due to the closure of Talbot Street.
Route 130 is operating from Stop 289 on Abbey Street until further notice.
Due to an incident on Talbot Street, Dublin City some TFI bus services, including Route 130 are experiencing diversions and Green line Luas services in the area are currently suspended. pic.twitter.com/MFPZx9aDqN
— Transport for Ireland (@TFIupdates) February 5, 2026
There’s been some flooding in Glasthule in Dún Laoghaire as well.
Glasthule, the Venice of Dublin currently pic.twitter.com/ZmBPeGj8FQ
— Ed Fidgeon-Kavanagh (@Clearpreso) February 5, 2026
A glimpse at the River Liffey around an hour ago.
Liffey starting to overflow, not sure I've ever seen it this rough. pic.twitter.com/uzTqR9KOfV
— Damian (@dublin_damo) February 5, 2026
Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan has confirmed that one person has died and at least three people have been hospitalised after a double decker bus crashed into a row of shops on Dublin’s North Earl Street this afternoon.
You can read more here.
The promenade in Dublin’s Clontarf has been submerged by high waves.
There is major flooding at Salthill DART station this afternoon.
As a result, the DART line is closed between Lansdowne Road and Bray.
Leap Cards are valid on all TFI services operating on routes in affected areas, according to Iarnród Éireann.
There are knock-on delays to other DART services, with Dublin to Rosslare rail services also affected due to flooding between Enniscorthy and Wexford.
“We are working to arrange bus transfers, but significant delays may result,” the company said.
🚨Salthill DART Station🚨
— Iarnród Éireann (@IrishRail) February 5, 2026
North & Southbound Services remain suspended between Lansdown Rd-Bray.
Rosslare services affected by line closure above & between Enniscorthy-Wexford.
Dublin Bus & Go Ahead will honour valid rail tickets in the affected areas. -AD #WeatherWatch pic.twitter.com/yLwCseLfnQ
Gardaí and emergency services are at the scene of a serious road traffic incident on Dublin’s North Earl Street.
A double decker bus has crashed into a premises on the street.
Talbot Street is closed from Gardiner Street. Marlborough Street is closed from Cathal Brugha Street. Local diversions are in place.
Dublin Fire Brigade has asked the public to avoid the area.
The Luas Green Line is suspended between St Stephen’s Green and Parnell.
You can read more here.
Louth County Council has also said that Main Street in Blackrock is currently closed due to high tide, with a road sweeper due on site to remove any debris.
🌊 High tide in Blackrock is at 1.40pm on Thursday, with tide heights of approximately 5.42m expected. For safety, Main Street will be closed an hour before and an hour afterwards. A road sweeper will be on site to remove any debris that is washed in by the sea. Motorists are… pic.twitter.com/Xc4aaBt2zJ
— Louth County Council (@louthcoco) February 5, 2026
Louth County Council has said that extra sandbags will be delivered to Carlingford before high tide today.
Here is a list of depots where sandbags are available.
Extra sandbags will be delivered to Carlingford before high tide on Thursday and are also in place in areas which were affected last week, including Cluan Enda and Bay Estate in Dundalk, while one tonne sandbags will remain in place on the N2 Drogheda Road in Ardee to divert… pic.twitter.com/eP3zn338ZN
— Louth County Council (@louthcoco) February 5, 2026
Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty and Tánaiste Simon Harris clashed over the progress made on flood defences during Leaders’ Questions this afternoon.
Doherty told the Dáil that families were “once again clearing out the debris and water, knowing this destruction was predictable and preventable”.
He pointed to Harris’ role as minister of state with responsibility for flood defences a decade ago, saying many of the flood relief schemes “identified, prioritised or advanced” during that period “remain incomplete”.
“A significant number are stuck at planning or, even worse, early design stage,” Doherty said.
Harris responded by saying a lot of progress has been made, saying the Office of Public Works “has already completed some 56 flood relief schemes, protecting some 13,000 properties and avoiding estimated damage of around two billion euro”.
But Doherty said the figure of 56 relates to flood relief projects completed since 1997. He said only 17 had been completed since Harris became a member of the government 10 years ago.
Some 148 schemes in areas prone to flooding identified by a specialist report have not yet been completed, the Sinn Féin TD added.
Harris said “there is an increased focus on allowing local authorities to fast-track more works that can be done in the here and now”.
He added that about 900 such projects have already been delivered.
He also said flood relief schemes are “being classified as critical infrastructure” and “the Government intends to bring forward a critical infrastructure Bill”.
Luas Green Line services are currently not operating between Parnell and St Stephen’s Green due to “a non Luas related incident”.
Luas Green Line services are currently not operating between Parnell and St. Stephen's Green. Services are only operating between Broombridge and Parnell and Brides Glen and St. Stephen's Green. This is due to a non Luas related incident. Luas tickets are valid on Dublin Bus for…
— Transport for Ireland (@TFIupdates) February 5, 2026
Tonight’s Sigerson Cup semi-final between Queens University Belfast and University of Limerick has been postponed due to the Status Orange rain warning in Dublin.
The third-level colleges football fixture was due to take place at DCU St Clare’s sports ground at 6pm. A new date is expected to be announced in due course.
You can read more here.
🚨 POSTPONED 🚨
— UL GAA Club (@ul_gaa) February 5, 2026
Tonight’s scheduled @HigherEdGAA Sigerson Cup Semi-Final vs @QueensGAA has been postponed as a result of the Orange weather warning in Dublin.
Details of the re-fixture will follow in due course.#ULGAA #BelongToThePack 🐺 pic.twitter.com/tISsboBU3S
Rail services between Enniscorthy and Wexford are not operating until further notice due to flooding, according to Iarnród Éireann.
Services will not operate between Enniscorthy-Wexford until further notice due to flooding. -AD
— Iarnród Éireann (@IrishRail) February 5, 2026
Fianna Fáil MEP Barry Andrews has said the government should “rapidly prepare” an application to the EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF) to help cover the cost of its response to severe flooding caused by Storm Chandra last week.
In a statement, Andrews said the cost to Ireland for repairs, clean-up operations and infrastructure improvements “will be significant”.
He said the fund is “made available in the EU budget for exactly these natural disasters”.
“My office has been in contact with the relevant European Commission officials, who confirmed that the overall damage and recovery cost threshold for Ireland to qualify in 2026 is €2,537 million,” Andrews said.
“The application must be submitted within 12 weeks since the beginning of the storm, so I would ask the relevant state authorities to now rapidly prepare an Irish application.”
He added: “From 2002 until 2024, the Solidarity Fund received 180 applications, of which 129 were successful – so an Irish application has a good chance of success.
“Last year, for example, €280 million was provided to help Austria, Poland, and other states to recover from the serious floods in central and Eastern Europe of the previous year.”
The EUSF was set up to respond to major natural disasters and express European solidarity to disaster-stricken regions within Europe.
It was established after severe floods in Central Europe in the summer of 2002 and has since become one of the main EU instruments for post-disaster recovery.
Dublin Bus has said that some of its services ”may experience delays or disruptions” today as a result of the Status Orange rain warning.
The company said services will operate subject to conditions and urged people to allow for extra travel time.
#DBSvcUpdate A status orange rain warning is now in place, some services may experience delays or disruptions. Customer safety remains our priority, services will operate subject to conditions. Please allow extra travel time and check for updates before travelling.@TFIupdates
— dublinbusnews (@dublinbusnews) February 5, 2026
James Joyce’s poem ‘Rain has fallen all the day’ seems an appropriate one for the day that’s in it.
Heavy rain and high winds certainly made life a bit difficult for commuters in Dublin this morning.
For anyone commuting in Dublin, Iarnród Éireann has said that DART services between Blackrock and Salthill are experiencing delays of up to 20 minutes due to waves overtopping the platform and onto the tracks.
Services between Blackrock and Salthill are experiencing delays of up to +20mins. Knock-on delays can be expected.
— Iarnród Éireann (@IrishRail) February 5, 2026
Waves are overtopping the platform and onto the tracks.
Services are operating under special signalling arrangements. Update to follow. -AD
Dublin Fire Brigade has warned people in the suburb of Balgriffin to expect delays in the area due to a fallen tree on the Malahide Road.
Wexford town appears to have escaped any bad flooding.
Wexford County Council chair Eddie Taaffe told RTÉ’s Today with David McCullagh programme that there had been some wave overtopping at Wexford harbour this morning, but that “it hasn’t been as bad as we expected”.
Taaffe said he believes this is the worst they will face at the harbour today, but “we will obviously keep that situation under constant review”.
Wexford County Council has deployed an ‘aqua dam’ interim defence in Enniscorthy, a temporary, water-filled portable enclosure used to control, divert, or contain water for flood protection and construction.
Some over spilling on Wexford Quay this morning. Luckily it is not as bad as expected but Wexford County Council will be monitoring the situation carefully. pic.twitter.com/DOwTtydopJ
— Wexford County Council (@wexfordcoco) February 5, 2026
The Road Safety Authority has urged people to avoid driving during bad weather if they can.
Speaking to RTÉ’s David McCullagh earlier, the RSA’s David Martin said driving conditions will be “extremely challenging” today, particularly in Dublin, Wicklow and Waterford.
“If you can avoid driving, do so. If you have to do your journey, give yourself some extra time. It’s going to take a little bit longer,” he said.
Martin said the most important message for drivers today is to slow down and allow a greater breaking distance between themselves and the vehicle in front of them.
“It can take more than twice as long to stop your car in these wet conditions, so give twice as much space between yourself and the car in front.”
He also urged more vulnerable road users such as cyclists and pedestrians to be aware of their visibility and to wear high-vis clothing and lights.
For those counties under Orange rain warnings, Met Éireann has warned that spells of very heavy rain falling on already saturated ground combined with high river levels and high tides will lead to localised flooding, river flooding and difficult travel conditions.
Speaking to RTÉ earlier, forecaster Gerry Murphy said the higher regions in Dublin, such as the Dublin mountains and parts of the capital that have flooded recently, will be the most at risk of flooding over the next 24 to 36 hours.
“It’s really the southern half of Dublin that this Orange warning refers to, simply because the higher ground is in South Dublin in conjunction with the Wicklow Mountains,” he said.
Murphy said people should be aware that there is going to be “a lot of consistent, persistent rain”.
“The rain will start off around mid-morning, and it’s really going to continue right the way through the rest of today, right the way through the night, and right the way up until tomorrow afternoon. So it’s going to be very wet, really.”
⚠️Warnings updated⬇️
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) February 5, 2026
❗️Spells of very heavy rain falling on already saturated ground combined with high river levels and high tide❗️
ℹ️https://t.co/lvQFgW9biq pic.twitter.com/xYatp6LyKw
There are a number of rain warnings in place at the moment for much of the country.
In Northern Ireland, a Yellow rain warning is in effect for Antrim, Armagh, Down, Tyrone and Derry until midnight tomorrow.
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