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LAST UPDATE | 2 Oct
STATUS ORANGE WIND warnings have now been issued for five counties along the west coast tomorrow ahead of the arrival of Storm Amy.
The Orange warning for counties Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo is in place from 2pm tomorrow until 10pm.
Met Éireann is warning about the potential for “near gale-force to gale-force” winds that could lead to fallen trees, potential power outages and wave overtopping.
A Status Yellow wind warning remains in place for the rest of the country tomorrow.
Ahead of the arrival of Storm Amy, a period of heavy rainfall is expected today, particularly in the north-west, west and south-west.
Presently, a Status Orange rain warning is in effect for Co Kerry and a separate Status Yellow warning for rain is in place for the remaining counties of Munster as well as Cavan, Donegal and the five counties of Connacht.
The warnings currently in place expire at 8pm this evening, but the storm tomorrow will also bring more spells of heavy rain.
A Status Yellow thunderstorm warning issued earlier for Galway has since been updated to include all of Connacht. “Some thunderstorms with possible lightning damage” can be expected until 2pm.
Minister for Local Government James Browne convened a meeting of the National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG) today to discuss the country’s preparedness for storms this season.
Browne told the NECG that a “whole-of-government” approach was “crucial” and that it was important to learn from last winter’s powerful storms.
He said he welcomed a new Community Support Centre Guidance Document, “which will provide structures and advice for local authorities and voluntary groups when they need to activate such resources during emergency events”.
Browne also announced that a review of the coordinated response to Storm Éowyn has now been submitted to the Government Task Force on Emergency Planning
The Climate Advisory Council was heavily critical of the government’s preparations ahead of the winter months in a statement issued earlier this week, in which it said no tangible action had been taken to prepare for extreme weather events like Storm Éowyn.
Keith Leonard, National Director of the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management, said:
“It is quite clear that we will have challenging weather conditions at local level in many counties. Local Authority severe weather teams are activated and are preparing for the storm’s approach.”
“For all members of the public, whatever part of the country you are in, rain and winds will be a factor overnight and early tomorrow. I would urge you to stay away from coastal areas during this period and to heed the appeal from the Irish Coast Guard for people to ‘Stay Back, Stay High, Stay Dry”.
Liz Walsh is an operational forecaster at Met Éireann.
She noted that a Status Red marine warning will be in place tomorrow from 2pm to 8pm from Loop Head to Rossan Point to Fair Head.
Walsh added that the Status Red marine warning along the coast is “rare and very dangerous”.
She added that the Status Orange rain warning for Co Kerry is also “a heads-up for West Cork” as the “weather doesn’t stop at county borders”.
She said the impact could be significant flooding today, especially in the southwest.
Walsh also anticipates significant rainfall totals in Galway.
“We already had a yellow thunderstorm warning out early this morning that has now lapsed, but there’s still more rain to come today,” said Walsh.
When asked if a Status Red warning could be announced, Walsh said she is “never going to say never” and that the places where this would be most likely is Co Donegal and Mayo.
“At the moment, we’re keeping it orange but certainly things can change.
“Even from yesterday, it did look like yellow yesterday, and overnight there was a jump in the models and then it’s pulled back again, so things do change things and it’s an unfolding situation.
Meanwhile, Iarnród Éireann has confirmed that bridge replacement and coastal defence works between Dun Laoghaire and Greystones, which had been due to take place this Saturday and Sunday, have been cancelled.
Iarnród Éireann said the forecast high winds would impact the safety of the proposed works due to the bridge lift involved, as well as work on exposed terrain on Bray Head.
As a result, full DART and Dublin to Rosslare Europort services will operate across the weekend and the works have been rescheduled to the weekend of 1 and 2 November.
Other works scheduled to take place across the rail network this weekend will proceed as planned.
This includes track renewal and bridge maintenance works between Portlaoise and Thurles, and signalling works for the Cork Area Commuter Rail project between Mallow and Cork on Sunday.
And on Friday night, all day Saturday and until 9am on Sunday, works associated with the Ceannt Station redevelopment and Oranmore Station works will proceed.
Storm Amy is the first named storm of the season for Ireland and it was named by the UK Met Office.
Met Éireann has said that the storm is part of very unsettled conditions in the Atlantic at the moment due to the effects of hurricanes Humberto and Imelda, currently situated in the vicinity of Bermuda.
“This unsettled situation is fuelling a strong jet stream and creating the conditions for a new, complex, low pressure system to develop,” Met Éireann explains.
“This low pressure system, named Storm Amy, will undergo rapid deepening on Friday when it interacts with the jet stream, bringing strong winds to Ireland then.”
This means that the main impact of the storm will be felt tomorrow in a ”very windy or stormy day” but blustery conditions are expected over the weekend too.
Speaking to RTÉ, Walsh remarked that “Amy is her own woman”.
“It’s very humid out there today and that’s because the air over us is coming from a tropical source,” she explained.
“We’ve got a jet stream that’s stretching right across the Atlantic, and that’s what is fuelling this weather that we’re getting.
“The air that’s coming towards us is coming from the area of Bermuda, and that’s where we’ve seen two hurricanes, Humberto and Imelda.”
While Imelda is still a hurricane, Umberto was dissipated by the National Hurricane Centre yesterday evening.
“It no longer exists,” said Walsh, “but the remnants of it are becoming entrained in the jet stream.
“That’s what’s fuelling the low pressure system that will become Storm Amy as it comes towards and tracks to the northwest of Ireland.”
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