Wind speed probabilities for Hurricane Lorenzo . Pic via National Hurricane Centre.
Emergency planners have been put on storm alert as Hurricane Lorenzo tracks towards Ireland.
No category five hurricane on record has ever made it so far north or east in the Atlantic.
Officials at the Department of Housing are closely watching the latest forecasts this morning for information on Hurricane Lorenzo
They have already written to the ESB, Gardaí, public transport operators and local authorities.
They have been ordered to monitor Met Éireann's updates over the coming days and be ready to activate their crisis management plans.
Staff from across the civil service are on standby this morning, ready to attend a meeting of the National Emergency Co-ordination group.
Hurricane Lorenzo is expected to weaken to a tropical storm as it approaches Ireland.
It is still not certain how close it will come, but it may bring with it high seas and storm surges.
