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LAST UPDATE | 23 Jan
THE WHOLE COUNTRY will be under Status Red wind warnings at various times overnight and into tomorrow morning as Storm Éowyn hits our shores.
Met Éireann is advising that extremely high winds will present a danger to life, with extremely dangerous travelling conditions, many fallen trees and significant and widespread power outages also expected.
It’s likely to be one of the most severe storms the country has experienced in recent times, authorities have warned.
Public transport services have been cancelled for the duration of the red weather warnings, while An Post has confirmed that there will be no postal deliveries or collections tomorrow.
Counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, and Waterford will be under the Red wind warning from 2am to 10am Friday.
In Clare and Galway, the warning is valid from 3am to 11am Friday.
Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo will be under the Red warning from 4am to 12pm Friday.
Counties Cavan, Monaghan, Dublin, Kildare, Laois, Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wicklow, Roscommon and Tipperary will be under a Red warning from 6am to 11am Friday.
In Donegal, the warning is valid from 7am to 2pm Friday.
In Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Derry, the UK Met Office has issued a red wind warning from 7am to 2pm Friday.
Good morning and welcome to our coverage of Storm Éowyn.
It’s Jane Moore here. I’ll be bringing you all the latest updates on the incoming storm as they happen throughout the day.
In case you missed it, the whole country will be under Status Red wind alerts at various times throughout tomorrow morning.
Here’s what we know so far about how tomorrow morning will look.
Counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, and Waterford will be under the Red wind warning from 2am to 10am Friday.
In Clare and Galway, the warning is valid from 3am to 11am Friday.
Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo will be under the Red warning from 4am to 12pm Friday.
Counties Cavan, Monaghan, Dublin, Kildare, Laois, Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wicklow, Roscommon and Tipperary will be under a Red warning from 6am to 11am Friday.
In Donegal, the warning is valid from 7am to 2pm Friday.
In Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Derry, the UK Met Office has issued a red wind warning from 7am to 2pm Friday.
Red warnings for #StormÉowyn have been updated as follows.
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) January 23, 2025
These changes are because the latest forecast shows the system clearing out slightly earlier than forecasted yesterday. pic.twitter.com/AistGVDQsi
Met Éireann has said that gale to storm force southerly winds becoming westerly will bring severe, damaging and extremely destructive gusts in excess of 130km/h.
The forecaster said the impacts of this are as follows:
The National Emergency Coordination Group are meeting this morning to plan the national response.
All public transport services will be cancelled for the duration of the red weather warnings.
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) is urging the public to take extreme caution.”This is not a typical weather event,” it said. “It has the potential to be a significant and historic storm that poses a serious risk to life.”
All driving tests that were due to take place tomorrow have now been cancelled, with the RSA saying that those affected will be issued an invitation to book a new test appointment in the coming days.
All schools, including creches, primary, secondary, and third level, will be closed for the duration of the red warnings.
Employers are urged to facilitate employees working from home where possible tomorrow. However, where it is not possible for employees to work from home and they cannot attend work due to extreme weather conditions, the Workplace Relations Commission said that there is no statutory obligation on the employer to pay the employee.
The National Emergency Coordination Group (NECG) are giving a press conference about the national response ahead of the arrival of the storm.
Keith Leonard, chair of the NECG, said that Storm Éowyn “is set to be one of the most severe storms Ireland has seen”.
“It is going to be a damaging, dangerous and destructive weather event. Forecasted winds will bring severe conditions which will constitute a risk to life and property.”
Leonard said the NECG’s most important message “is that everybody needs to shelter in place for the duration of all red warnings”.
“We are likely to see significant and widespread power outages, so I would encourage everyone to prepare ahead. Make sure phones, torches and laptops are fully charged, ensure that there are no loose garden furniture or other items on your property that could cause problems in strong winds. Check that vulnerable and older people have everything that they need in advance of Storm Éowyn setting in.”
Met Éireann’s Eoin Sherlock said the forecaster has issued nationwide Red wind warnings “due to the extraordinary intensity expected from this storm”.
He said the storm is going to approach the southwest coast early tonight and will spread northwards through the country.
“We expect this storm to be destructive, dangerous and disruptive. We can expect gusts of greater than 130 kilometers per hour inland, which is very, very unusual,” he said. adding that they had not see forecasted wind speeds like this “in quite a long time”.
He also said “hurricane-force winds” are expected from Valencia to Erris Head to Fair Head and urged inhabitants of the islands to “take great care”.
The unsettled weather will continue on Saturday, with strong winds expected to weaken already weakened infrastructure, and potential for further fallen trees and power outages.
Keith Leonard said the key message to people is to take preparatory actions, such as making sure that garden furniture and any objects that can cause difficulties during storms are tied down or stored in place.
“Tomorrow is going to be extremely difficult,” he said, adding that people should avoid going outside during the red warnings “and even after the warnings expire, really only essential travel even at that stage, with extremely disruptive conditions”.
Ivan Longmore from the Irish Coast Guard said their message to the public is “to stay away from the coastline and any exposed areas” during the red warnings, and even after they expire.
“There are a number of marine red warnings starting at 2am tomorrow that encompass the island of Ireland and the coastal waters adjacent to us, and we would ask that you stay away and that you keep yourself safe,” Longmore said.
We will obviously respond, but our utmost priority will be the safety of our staff and our volunteers during this event.
He reiterated that people should “stay away, stay high and stay dry”.
Colonel Denis Hanly of the Irish Defence Forces said they have begun their planning processes and issued warning orders across their air, sea and land services to prepare for the storm.
He said the Defence Forces will be on standby along with their colleagues in the Department of Defence to respond to any requests for assistance and will deploy as required across the country.
Jennifer Gilna from the National Transport Authority confirmed that public transport will not operate across the country during the red level warnings tomorrow.
She said public transport services will stop approximately two hours before the red warnings kick in as they will be in place in different counties at different times across the country.
“The advice we have is, please, to stay at home, and very much to check in with your operator before you leave your home as to what’s available,” she said.
Once the red weather warnings stop in the various counties, the public transport operators will mobilise as fast as possible, but each operator will have to do an assessment, Gilna said.
Operators such as Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann will go out and check all the bus routes to ensure it’s safe to put passengers on a bus across the route and work out traversional routes where necessary.
The Luas operators will have to assess the trams for the red and green line, while Irish Rail will do the same with the rail lines.
“I can’t give anybody a time. While the warnings will finish at a variety of times, please bear with us. It will take us a number of hours to get back fully operational,” Gilna said.
“We will absolutely communicate to everybody about what is available, when it is available, but we would ask you to bear with us in that I can’t give definitive times until after the red weather warning event has finished.
“Please do look at the operator channels to see when your services have resumed.”
Garda Superintendent Liam Geraghty said that Storm Éowyn is a “dangerous, damaging and destructive weather event” with potential serious risk to life and injury for people who do not follow public safety advice.
“An Garda Síochána is telling all members of the public that a status red severe weather warning means shelter in place,” he said.
People in areas during the times of red warning should stay indoors, avoid unnecessary travel and take action to protect themselves and their properties. Do not put yourselves or members of emergency services at risk during this time.
He urged people to ensure that their properties and any loose material on their properties are secured.
“Today is the time to be a community. Today and this afternoon is the time to check on isolated and vulnerable family, friends and neighbours. Please ensure that they are aware and prepared for this storm event,” he said.
An Garda Síochána is warning all members of the public that a Status Red severe weather warning means ‘shelter in place’.
Gardaí said they and other colleagues in the emergency services will be on duty, but depending on local weather conditions, may not be in a position to respond to help during the height of Storm Éowyn, subject to dynamic risk assessments.
They said that once the Red warnings have passed in an area, people should continue to “exercise extreme caution and care when venturing out on the public roads”if an Orange wind warning remains in place.
“There will be fallen trees, structural and other unexpected debris, and fallen or damaged live electricity wires in many areas across the country. Trees and structures may be unstable,” a garda spokesperson said.
“The emergency services and our colleagues in Local Authorities and Utility Service providers will be busy across the road network identifying and repairing damaged infrastructure.
“An Garda Síochána appeals to every person using the public roads after the expiration of the weather warnings and over this coming weekend, to Slow Down, Expect the Unexpected and Stay Safe.
“An Garda Síochána again reiterates and cannot overstate the public safety advice that during the Status Red Warning times the public should ‘shelter in place’.”
The Dublin Region Homeless Executive said it has contingency plans in place ahead of the arrival of Storm Éowyn.
A spokesperson said that as part of its Cold Weather Strategy for this year, the DRHE has provided for a total new capacity of 192 permanent beds. There are an additional 82 beds that can be activated as part of the Extreme Weather Emergency Protocol when a weather warning is triggered.
The spokesperson said there is emergency accommodation available throughout the four Dublin Local Authorities and outreach providers will use the additional extreme weather bed capacity as required.
“If a person becomes homeless during the extreme weather or wants to be assessed for access to emergency accommodation we encourage them to contact their Local Authority as early in the day as possible,” the spokesperson said.
“All emergency accommodation in Dublin is open 24 hours and meals and/or cooking
facilities are provided.
“Our Freephone number 1800 707 707 is open from 10am until 10pm and we would
encourage anyone that requires emergency accommodation to make contact.”
The DRHE also urged people to let them know if they come across someone sleeping rough by contacting them on 01 872 0185 or on their website.
Bank of Ireland has confirmed that all of its branches across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland will close tomorrow.
Important Customer Update – Storm Éowyn
— Bank of Ireland (@talktoBOI) January 23, 2025
Due to the Status Red weather warning, for the safety of our customers and colleagues all Bank of Ireland branches across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland will be closed tomorrow Friday 24 January.
The National Maternity Hospital has said that all outpatient appointments are cancelled tomorrow, adding that all affected patients will be contacted.
All outpatient appointments due to take place on Friday 24th Jan are cancelled due to #StormÉowyn. We are contacting all affected patients.
— The National Maternity Hospital (@_TheNMH) January 23, 2025
💙Emergency Room and Labour & Birthing Unit are open 24/7
☎️You can contact us on 01 637 3100
🫶Stay safe - weather updates @MetEireann pic.twitter.com/16R64FEA9e
The Rotunda Hospital has also announced that all outpatient appointments at their hospital have been cancelled tomorrow.
All outpatient appointments scheduled for Friday, 24th January have been cancelled due to the red weather warning alert issued for Storm Éowyn. The hospital is currently contacting all affected patients. We encourage patients to adhere to the safety advice issued by @MetEireann pic.twitter.com/C6XDgOPzS5
— The Rotunda Hospital (@RotundaHospital) January 23, 2025
The HSE has said that most services across the health service will be cancelled tomorrow.
Cancelled health services includes:
The health service said that critical emergency services will continue to run, including ambulance, emergency department and prenatal care for pregnant mothers. Injury units will also remain open.
Where people are in receipt of specialist and time-critical services such as dialysis and cancer treatment, the treating unit will contact the patient directly if there are any changes to the schedule.
Supports to vulnerable people at home in the community will be prioritised on an urgent needs basis during the hours of where the red warnings are in place.
A spokesperson said: “The HSE will do all possible to ensure continuity of critical emergency services including ambulance, ED, dialysis, oncology treatment and pre-natal care for expectant mothers.”
“If you are in any doubt or worried please contact your service, however for the most part all non-urgent outpatient appointments and community clinics are cancelled for tomorrow and will be rescheduled as soon as possible. Only HSE buildings connected to immediate and urgent service provision will be staffed during the period of the storm.”
The HSE said anyone requiring urgent emergency care should attend their local emergency department for treatment, whilst taking every precaution to keep safe on route.
The Department of Education has reiterated that all schools will remain closed for the day tomorrow.
Early learning and childcare settings and further and higher education institutions will also remain closed for the day.
@MetEireann has issued a status red weather warning for the entire country
— Department of Education (@Education_Ire) January 23, 2025
All Schools to close for the duration of the School Day on Friday#StormEowyn pic.twitter.com/0jPwIXG0hJ
The Courts Service has announced that its buildings will close for the duration of the red weather warnings and will remain closed for at least two hours after the alert has been lifted in each area.
The Central and Circuit Criminal Courts will all be adjourned so that jurors do not have to travel.
Sittings of the High Court tomorrow will be adjourned and details of the adjournment dates will be publicised on courts.ie later today.
In a statement, the Court Service said it is likely that the courts will adjourn all non-urgent work listed tomorrow.
Any courts that will sit, will not sit until a minimum of two hours after the Red alert finishes and subject to the availability of power and an inspection of our courthouses, it said.
The plan for the court buildings tomorrow is as follows:
People in Northern Ireland will receive an emergency alert on their phones this afternoon related to Storm Éowyn.
First Minister Michelle O’Neill confirmed the news at a press conference at Stormont earlier this afternoon.
“It’s important to emphasise that a red warning is very serious, it’s only used whenever there is a genuine threat to life and potential damage to property and the public should expect significant disruption to travel and also potential power outages because of the severity of conditions,” O’Neill said.
“We want to assure everybody that we’re working across government with all our partner agencies, councils, the PSNI, emergency services and other agencies to deal with any impacts and also in terms of preparedness.
“We also want the public to know that they can expect to receive an emergency alert on their phones later on this afternoon.
“This is an evolving situation, there are meetings happening as we speak, and we’ll be coming back this afternoon with further updates, but just to say to everybody, we want people to stay safe, we want people to look out for those that are vulnerable, take time to check in on family and friends.”
“Schools are closing, further and higher education colleges are closing, airports are keeping the situation under review. We’re encouraging only essential travel, only where it is absolutely necessary.”
#DBSvcUpdate Dublin Bus services will not operate from 04.00 to 11.00 tomorrow, Friday 24 January 2025. https://t.co/ILv78evjtS@TFIupdates https://t.co/PQIKmfsXmG
— dublinbusnews (@dublinbusnews) January 23, 2025
Dublin Bus has confirmed that it will not operate services between 4am and 11am tomorrow.
“Services will be severely impacted in the hours before and after the Status Red Warning is in effect. Although the Status Red warning ends at 11:00, services will be reintroduced on a gradual basis as employees return to work safely,” it said in a statement.
It said it will continue to monitor the situation as the storm evolves, and advised customers to plan their journeys and check the Dublin Bus website and X account for regular updates.
Dublin Express has cancelled some of its services that were planned to run tomorrow.
The bus line said that subject to changing weather conditions, the services that are currently planned to restart tomorrow afternoon are:
It advised customers to check their website for the latest updates before they travel.
The CEO of Depaul has encouraged all rough sleepers and vulnerable people to remain indoors ahead of the arrival of the storm.
“We are calling on any individuals who may have influence over those who are rough sleeping to encourage them to obtain shelter for tonight as conditions are expected to be potentially life threatening,” David Carroll said.
“We would urge all people who are sleeping rough to make contact with their local authority homelessness or street outreach services or the Gardaí. The main contacts for support are the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DHRE) and outside of Dublin, the City and Local Councils.
Depaul continues to have additional emergency beds in services in Dublin, Waterford, Wexford and Cork during this period – on top of our existing 800+ temporary accommodation beds.
“We will continue to monitor the situation over the next 24-48 hours and the priority will be to keep all our essential staff and service users safe during this event.”
All National Parks and other sites run by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) will be closed tomorrow due to the incoming storm.
“Public safety is a priority for NPWS. Facilities and amenities on all sites will be closed and will be opened only following review of all conditions,” the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage said in a statement.
“We are asking the Public not to visit National Parks and NPWS sites tomorrow, Friday 24 January, and until further notice due to Storm Éowyn.”
Cork County Council’s Crisis Management Team convened this afternoon ahead of the storm and have announced the closure of a number of facilities.
The Council is urging people to stay at home, to shelter in place, and not to travel.
A Status Yellow Rain warning comes into effect in counties Cork, Kerry, Waterford and Wexford at 9pm tonight and will remain in place until 5am tomorrow morning.
The Council has warned that heavy rain may lead to localised flooding.
“Council crews have been deployed to inspect key high-risk areas and will continue to monitor the situation throughout the period. Pumping arrangements are in place in known problem locations,” a statement said.
Issues can be reported to the Council’s Emergency Number (021) 4800048. In the event of an emergency call 999 or 112 and request the Fire Service, Ambulance Service, Gardaí or Irish Coastguard as appropriate. DO NOT assume others will do this.
Some of the country’s major supermarkets have said they will close their doors during the Status Red wind warning.
SuperValu, Lidl and Aldi have all said they will pull down the shutters for periods tomorrow, before reopening when the warning has lifted in each local area.
Several shoppers in Dublin and elsewhere around the country who visited main brand supermarkets around lunchtime reported that while shops were incredibly busy, the shelves were being re-stocked regularly.
You can read the full story here
Ahead of the arrival of Storm Éowyn tomorrow, rumours have spread online that motor insurance will be suspended for people who choose to drive in Status Red conditions.
These claims are false. Insurance groups have indicated that motor insurance policies will not be invalidated just because of the weather.
Read the full FactCheck article here.
Our colleague Valerie Flynn has just sent this photo to the news team at The Journal with the ominous caption: “It begins.”
Police in Northern Ireland are reminding the public to take all necessary precautions as Storm Éowyn approaches. The UK’s Met Office has issued a rare red warning, which will be in place from 7am until 2pm tomorrow.
Public are advised to take all necessary precautions to keep themselves safe as Northern Ireland braces for Storm Éoywn. Read more: https://t.co/glSvcBhycF pic.twitter.com/xfTSYnxlYB
— Police Service NI (@PoliceServiceNI) January 23, 2025
Dublin City Council’s Crisis Management Team met yesterday and again this afternoon and has announced the closure of a long list of Council-run facilities.
The following services and facilities will be closed to the public tomorrow:
•All Dublin City Council offices
•All Dublin City Council Sports, Leisure and Community Centres
•All Dublin City Council Libraries
•All Dublin City Council Parks
•All Dublin City Council Bring Centres and Recycling Centres
•The Hugh Lane Gallery
•Richmond Barracks in Inchicore
•14 Henrietta St
•City Hall
•The Lab on Foley St
•Motor Tax office
We hope to re-open all these services from Saturday morning, following an assessment,” a DCC statement said.
All Dublin City Council staff, apart from essential emergency staff, have been advised to work from home tomorrow.
Dublin City Council services will continue to be provided by phone, email and online.
This photo, taken in Dunnes Stores at the Pavilions Shopping Centre in Swords, north Dublin, shows just how seriously some people are taking the incoming storm…
Met Éireann updated its meteorologist’s commentary on the storm today. According to the latest update:
You can read the full commentary here.
Retail Excellence Ireland has advised that there is ‘no need to panic buy’, as the storm will be shortlived.
It comes as people continue to share images of supermarket shelves running low on bread.
See the bread thing is happening again...🤷#StormEowyn #StormÉowyn pic.twitter.com/W4SUR2CSpl
— Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) January 23, 2025
The Bon Secours hospitals in Dublin, Cork, Tralee, Limerick, and Galway are all set to be impacted by the storm.
Patients impacted will be contacted directly to reschedule their appointments at the earliest convenience, the hospital chain said.
Essential services will remain operational, with dedicated teams available to handle urgent medical needs, Bon Secours said.
For further information, Bon Secours encouraged people to visit this page of its website.
The Irish Coast Guard is appealing to the public to ‘Stay Back, Stay High, and Stay Dry’ from all coastal regions during Storm Éowyn.
The public is being advised that conditions around coastal regions, including cliffs, piers and beaches will be extremely dangerous during the Status Red and Status Orange conditions and in the days after.
A high surge advisory has been issued for all coasts, with wave overtopping expected in exposed low-lying coastal areas, especially on Atlantic coasts.
Status Red wind and marine storm warnings are also set to be in place, which will bring winds of force 10 and above, the Coast Guard said.
The Irish Coast Guard said it remains ready to respond and will prioritises the safety of Coast Guard personnel and partner agencies during this Red weather warning.
The Coast Guard has appealed to the public to remain vigilant to the public safety alerts and weather updates tomorrow.
“If you see somebody in trouble on the water or along the coast or think that they are in trouble, use Marine VHF Ch 16 or dial 112 and ask for the Coast Guard,” the Coast Guard said.
The body representing rank and file gardaí has told its members who will be on duty for the duration of the storm that it will cover the cost of food for them.
In a message to gardaí the Garda Representative Association said that they will pay for vouched takeaway meals.
“Each on-site working unit is entitled to a pizza meal, or equivalent, per member,” the message to members said.
“As Storm Éowyn fast approaches bringing with it a National Status Red warnings, our membership will be severely impacted. This storm is expected to be one of the most severe and dangerous weather events our country has ever experienced,” the email said.
Storm Eowyn officially arrives later but the wind & swell is already up at #HookLighthouse #StormEowyn pic.twitter.com/dtjvq5Sjpz
— Hook Lighthouse (@hooklighthouse) January 23, 2025
The wind is already picking up at Hook Lighthouse, at the tip of the Hook Peninsula in Co Wexford.
Latest significant wave heights forecast for 8am tomorrow with 13m waves forecast, please stay back from coasts. #StormÉowyn pic.twitter.com/i1nn50KVq6
— Carlow Weather (@CarlowWeather) January 23, 2025
The Carlow Weather account on X has shared this wave forecast, which is predicting incredibly high swells hitting the west coast tomorrow morning.
Meanwhile, surfing forecast website surfline.com is predicting waves as high as 10 metres in Lahinch, Co Clare.
The Irish Farmers’ Association has advised farmers to check their farmyards and put in place whatever safety procedures are needed to safeguard themselves and their livestock until the storm passes.
“Farmers should review whatever measures they normally take when Met Éireann issues a storm advisory. Check buildings, gates, doors, vehicles and equipment to ensure they are secure,” IFA president Francie Gorman said.
“Over the next 24 to 48 hours, farm families will face challenges in carrying out their work. It is absolutely essential that farmers think of their own safety, and the safety of their families and their neighbours,” he said.
The IFA also encouraged farmers to prioritise their own safety over that of livestock.
That’s all from us at The Journal for today’s Live Blog.
Here is a rundown of some of the biggest impacts from the incoming Storm Éowyn:
Take care and stay safe!
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