LAST UPDATE | 1 Nov 2023

HEAVY WEATHER CONDITIONS of recent days are set to continue with a Status Yellow rain warning now in place for parts of the south and southeast of the country.

The rain warning for counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Wicklow, Cork and Waterford will remain in effect until 9am tomorrow morning.

Met Éireann has said that saturated ground conditions and high river levels in a number of counties may lead to further flooding in some areas. 

A number of those counties – Cork, Waterford and Wexford – all saw flooding events over the past fortnight.

In Waterford, the public has been urged to remain cautious tonight as Storm Ciarán tracks over Ireland, particularly along the south coast.

#ThursdayMorning

Lingering heavy rain across eastern fringes will clear early Thursday morning ☁️🌥️

Sunny spells & scattered showers will follow for the rest of the day, some heavy across west and southwest counties 🌤️🌦️🌧️

More info ⬇️https://t.co/yEsIuCkWlq pic.twitter.com/HV8uWEGW0d

— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) November 1, 2023

Fergus Galvin, Director of Services with Waterford City and County Council, has advised that motorists allow additional travel time for journeys and to be conscious of vulnerable road users.

He also advised motorists to not drive through floods as flood waters can be deeper than they appear, and he also cautioned that pavements and road surfaces may be damaged beneath the flood waters.

Waterford City and County Council’s severe weather management team is monitoring the situation and Council ground crews are on standby to deal with any issues that may arise.

It comes after “biblical” flooding in Newry, Co Down yesterday along with similar scenes in Co Louth.

Newry’s canal burst its banks amid heavy rainfall, leading to dozens of businesses to become engulfed in the floods. Widespread damage caused to buildings, furnishings and stock.

Some 12,000 sandbags were deployed as areas in the east of Northern Ireland were hit with flooding.

An estimated 80 businesses in Newry are counting the cost after the city’s canal burst its banks on Monday night, submerging sections under water.

Paul McCartan, owner of McCartan Bros menswear store, estimated it will cost about £250,000 (€288,000) to repair and restock his shop.

Michael Nugent, owner of Nugelato Ice-Cream Parlour, is still counting the costs but estimated repairing the damage could be up to £100,000 (€115,000).

He said: “This is the first day we have been able to access the shop, with the levels of flooding yesterday it was under a few feet of water. While the water has thankfully left our shop, it has gone down the road and there is still a big problem.

“For our shop, it’s going to be about salvaging what we can.

“We didn’t have much warning, had we known we possibly could have got equipment and stock out.”

Nugent said they have not yet heard of any financial aid that might be made available to businesses.

Flood water in McCartan Bros clothes store in Newry. Brendan Digney / PA Brendan Digney / PA / PA

He added: “We haven’t heard a thing as yet … we have had no assurances. Most businesses in Newry aren’t insured with flood risks.

“We need some leadership and some support.

“If we have to replace everything … it could be upwards of £100,000.”

A Department of Infrastructure official said they still have concerns about Newry, over the impact of high tide potentially causing further breaches of the canal wall.

Gary Quinn from the Rivers Agency said they have placed a large number of sandbags in the city and added that Newry and Portadown are the “main focus”.

Flooding also made part of south Belfast impassable according to the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Thousands of sandbags were stacked along the canal to try to stem to flow amid fear of further breaches.

The PSNI said motorists should heed the road closed signs and not attempt to travel through the flood water.

With reporting from Jane Moore