LAST UPDATE | 29 Feb 2020

A STATUS RED wind warning is now in place in Clare and Galway due to the effects of Storm Jorge. 

Met Éireann’s highest warning level was moved forward by two hours in the two counties and will remain so until 3pm when it will then revert to an Orange warning.

At a briefing today after a meeting of the National Emergency Coordination Group (NECG), Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government Eoghan Murphy said people living in Clare and Galway should stay indoors and not take any journeys. 

The rest of the country is in an Orange status for wind and are advised not to travel if local conditions do not seem safe.Hopefully this will have lifted tonight but today the storm is here and is with us. Some parts of the country will feel the impact of the storm worse than others, but we are talking about gusts of over 100km per hour.

There is potential for damage from gusts everywhere in the country today. People need to be alert and need to be aware. 

Murphy said we remain in a very high flood situation in many catchments in the country but local authorities are not reporting at additional flooding events since yesterday. 

The NECG is anticipating greater weather impacts later today, with restrictions for public events, power supply and travel. 

“All necessary resources have been deployed to help those who are vulnerable, to help the homeless and help those at risk of flooding,” he said. 

In Clare and Galway, where a Red Warning is in place, westerly winds will reach mean speeds of 85 to 100 km/h in places, with gusts of 130 to 145 km/h.

Rainfall between 20-30 mm is expected today, but 40-50 mm is possible in mountainous areas.

Here’s the information you need to stay safe over the weekend.

Derek Hynes from ESB Networks said there has not been significant outage or network damage so far during the early stages of the storm. 

However he said the weather is expected to worsen over the afternoon and ESB Networks expects trees will fall and that households in both Red and Orange warning areas will lose power. 

We’re asking everybody to stay safe by staying clear, if they see fallen trees or any fallen wires, whether or not they believe them to be electricity wires, to call us immediately on 1850 372 999.

We’re also really conscious of the cumulative power of not having power while battle flooding and we’re asking families who lose power, if they’re subject to flooding, to also call us on our emergency number.

Households who lose power and who are also experiencing flooding are advised to stay clear of any electrical installations until ESB Networks staff arrive. 

So far this morning, there has been a peak number of 15,000 families without power. 

Met Éireann's projected wind map for 3pm. Met.ie Met.ie

When

The west will be worst affected, according to Met Éireann, with the first warning kicking in at 6am and the rest being issued in the afternoon:

• 6AM: A Status Orange wind warning was put in place for Galway, Mayo, Clare and Kerry until 3am tomorrow
• 11AM: A Status Red wind warning came into effect for Galway and Clare and will expire at 3pm today. It is not expected to be extended. 
• 12PM: A Status Orange wind warning is in place for Donegal, Leitrim, and Sligo until 3am tomorrow
• 1PM: A Status Orange wind warning is in effect for the rest of the country until 7pm this evening. 

Since midnight on Friday, a Status Yellow rain warning will be in place for counties in Munster and Connacht, as well as Donegal until midnight tonight.

A National Emergency Coordination Group meeting was held yesterday by Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy and his two junior ministers Damien English and Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran. It met this morning and will do so again tomorrow.

It had the following advice:

• People are asked to check on isolated and vulnerable neighbours as local conditions allow.
• The public are again reminded to monitor Met Éireann forecasts for their area and to be aware of the weather conditions and to heed safety warnings. 
• In areas affected it is likely there will be:
• High seas; the public are advised to stay away from coastal areas during this period.
• Very strong winds are predicted which will make driving conditions hazardous, especially for the more vulnerable road users, e.g., cyclists, pedestrians, motorcyclists and high sided vehicles. Road users should be aware of hazardous travelling conditions. Motorists should slow down and be aware of the dangers of fallen trees, debris and high flood waters
• An Garda Síochána emphasised the dangerous driving conditions during the storm and asked people to place safety as a key priority over the coming days
• It is critical that people prioritise their safety and never touch or approach fallen wires, stay safe and stay clear of fallen or damaged electricity wires and contact the ESB on 1850 372 99
• Keep your mobile phone charged. Mobile phones can connect to the 999 service on any operator’s network so even where you do not have coverage on your own network it may still be possible to make a 999 call
• Follow HSA safety advice regarding the use of tools and equipment during and after the storm.