A Status Orange wind warning is now in place for Wexford and Waterford in the South East.
A Status Red Wind Warning's in place for Cork and Kerry as the Storm Barra hits the country.
A red alert for Clare will also come into effect from four this afternoon.
Gusts in excess of 130 kilometres per hour are expected, and homes are businesses are advised to expect disruption to power and travel.
Meanwhile, a yellow alert is in place for the rest of the country.
Alan O'Reilly from Carlow Weather says the whole country will feel the effects of the storm:
"The centre of the storm will pass into the West Coast with the strongest winds initially on the South West"
"The winds then will increase across the country this morning, and into the afternoon."
"Really across all areas we will see strong winds for a time today."
#StormBarra has arrived with gusts in excess of 100kmh already on the South coast and heavy rain pushing across the country. Weather warnings are on operation now, please take care. pic.twitter.com/Uac5WPppFb
— Carlow Weather (@CarlowWeather) December 7, 2021
Meanwhile, people are being urged to avoid the coast for the duration of the storm.
David Minogue from Wexford County Council has this advice:
Power outages
2,317 customers in Enniscorthy have been affected by a major power outage in Bellfield, which has an estimated repair time of 7.15pm.
Almost 1,500 homes in Castlecomer in Kilkenny were without power due to a fault caused by high winds from the storm.
Many of those homes have now had their service reconnected, however one pocket the ESB have indicated won't be fixed until about 2,30pm this afternoon.
While in Waterford City, areas surrounding Manor Street had been left without power due to a fault.
The issue affected 1,623 homes across the city, making it one of the most significant power outage in the region thus far today, however ESB have confirmed the issue to be resolved at 3.30pm this afternoon.
1,386 customers in Kilcarragh have also been affected by power outages, with ESB teams in Waterford restoring the power at 16:52 this afternoon.
Power is also out in Kilmacthomas with 41 customers affected. The estimated restoration time is 22.45 tonight.
2,018 homes in South Wexford are currently without power due to an issue in Bealistown, which isn't due to be resolved until 7.30pm this evening.
Meanwhile over 900 customers in Wexford town are without power due to a fault, which is estimated to be fixed between 4.30pm and 6.30pm this evening, which is the same time that 105 homes in Crane in Wexford are expected to have their supply returned.
Just under 100 homes are affected in Killinick, near Hook Head, after another power outage there.
There are very high seas already here at Hook - lots of trees already down in the area - please stay back from the coasts and stay safe.#StormBarra #HookLighthouse pic.twitter.com/2IBsZMI71r
— Hook Lighthouse (@hooklighthouse) December 7, 2021
Over 1,000 homes in Dungarvan in West Waterford were without power this morning due to a fault, however that has been repaired since about 8.30am.
97 properties in Ardmore are also affected, due to a power outage that stretches across the bay as far as Youghal, while 57 have power out on the outskirts of Tramore.
In Carlow, 180 customers in Tullow are without power currently due to the storm, with a 6pm estimate time put on for it to be fixed.
While 16 users in Fenagh have lost electricity too - power is expected to return at 6pm this evening.
In Tipperary, a fault in Cahir has seen 73 customers affected, while outages in Lawlesstown, the Kilross Road, and the Holycross Road has affected a further 40.
Just outside the South-East, major outages in Portlaoise, and Baltinglass in County Wicklow are also affecting over 2,000 homes. While a further outage in Arklow has seen a further 1,000 homes without power.
The ESB have asked people not to touch any exposed wires that may still be live.
Water
The storm has also affected some water mains across the region.
In Enniscorthy, a boil water notice is in place - despite large parts of the town still without electricity - due to potentially contaminated water from heavy rain earlier in the day.
It's also due to issues surrounding the Vinegar Hill Water Treatment plant, one of the plants at the heart of the controversy surrounding Enniscorthy's water supply earlier in the winter.
Water supplies are also expected to be turned off overnight due to issues surrounding water quality following heavy downpours.
It means all areas of the town will now have no water supply from 11pm this evening until 6am the following morning.
In Tipperary, a reservoir interruption may cause supply disruptions to The Commons, Ballingarry and surrounding areas, while works are ongoing to repair a burst water main servicing Moangarriff, Clonmel and surrounding areas.
Staying in Clonmel, and a water treatment interruption may cause supply disruptions to Mountain Road, Upper Spa Road, Poulavanogue and surrounding areas, work is scheduled to take place overnight tonight.
Healthcare
COVID testing centres around the South-East are also set to close early due to health and safety issues around the storm.
The HSE has confirmed that all five centres across the region will close at 4pm today in the interests of safety of staff and service users.
Those that had been scheduled for appointments between 4-7pm this afternoon Tuesday 7th of December at those five sites are being contacted with the offer of an earlier appointment today or to reschedule to a time tomorrow Wednesday 8th of December.
For those in Carlow that had been scheduled for appointments at St. Dympna’s between 4-7pm this afternoon are being contacted with the offer of an earlier appointment or to reschedule to a time there tomorrow.
While those with appointments for the additional COVID-19 testing facility at Carlow Youth Centre, are also being contacted to change their appointments to the same times tomorrow.
BreastCheck facilities in Waterford and South Tipperary have also been closed for the day due to the storm.
Flooding
There has been a report that Fethard-on-Sea is experiencing flooding due to the sea surge caused by the high winds.
High tide in the Wexford seaside village was at 7.21am, so it is hoped the water may recede along with the sea.
Dungarvan has also suffered from some flooding in parts, particularly along Davitts Quay and in the car park near the Town Park.
#StormBarra has hit Dungarvan @wlrfm @CarlowWeather @WaterfordNS @barrabest pic.twitter.com/vmXmfwXRvL
— Eddie Dee (@EddieDee_) December 7, 2021
Waterford Council have confirmed that the Toyota Yaris in the picture has been flooded, however thankfully now buildings have been damaged due to flooding in the town.
Cheekpoint has also experiences some flooding, however that is already receding as the storm calms, albeit temporarily, across the Déise.
Education
The Department of Education has advised schools remain closed in 12 counties.
All schools in Waterford and Wexford are closed, along with creches.
Waterford Institute of Technology is also closed this morning.
IT Carlow's Wexford and Wicklow campuses are also closed, however the main campus in Carlow town is still open, as is Carlow College.
Please note our Wexford Campus and our Wicklow County Campus will be closed tomorrow as #StormBarra crosses the country. @itcarlowlll Lifelong Learning online classes proceed as normal. @ITCarlowSU @ITCarlowWexford @ITCarlowGAA @ITCarlowLibrary @SportITCarlow Stay Safe everyone pic.twitter.com/hIqg4HtbZ5
— SETU Carlow (@itcarlow) December 6, 2021
A total of around 2,500 schools are closed this morning as a result of the storm.
Education Minister Norma Foley says they closed schools in orange level counties as a precaution.
The situation remains the same for tomorrow, as all schools that are in the area of a red or orange alert will remain closed.
Update: All schools currently or forecast to be in an Orange or Red warning area should remain closed tomorrow.
— Richard Chambers (@newschambers) December 7, 2021
Schools that are no longer in a Red or Orange Alert area can reopen.
Transport
Plunkett Train station in Waterford has been reopened following flooding there this morning.
Train services between Waterford and Kilkenny are back running, with the last bus transfers now in place to bring passengers from the Déise to the Marble City, however the 11am train into Waterford will arrive in Plunkett.
Update: Waterford Station has reopened. #StormBarra
11:00 Waterford - Heuston will operate from Kilkenny with bus transfers Waterford - Kilkenny.
10:15 Heuston - Waterford will operate to Waterford. -CL https://t.co/NimqS6B550— Iarnród Éireann (@IrishRail) December 7, 2021
In Wexford, the route 388 local link bus, which connects Carrig-on-Bannow, through Wellingtonbridge, and onto Wexford, has been taken off the road until 4.30pm this evening.
While the route 368 Tullow - Enniscorthy has also been suspended until at least 3pm.
While the 361 service, which connects Ardmore to Dungarvan in Waterford, has also been cancelled until further notice.
Other services cancelled in Waterford are 367 - Tramore to Dungarvan, the 367a - Dungarvan to Waterford, and the 363 Tallow to Dungarvan - with the last service to Tallow leaving Dungarvan at 15.05.
The Promenade in Tramore has been closed, as the storm continues to batter the Waterford coastline.
Paul Touhy is from Tramore RNLI.
Speaking to Beat News, he says people should stay away from the coast:
In the city, the Dunmore Road is now closed at Hillside Grove due to fallen tree, while Gardaí are also advising people to take care with wires down on one of the main suburban thoroughfares. Drivers in Faithlegg are also now having to take divert through Passage, due to a fallen tree on the road.
Fallen Power line Dunmore Rd Co Waterford. Avoid Road if possible and keep Safe. #stormbarra #staysafe pic.twitter.com/i92dAPllsC
— An Garda Síochána (@GardaTraffic) December 7, 2021
The Tourin Road in Cappaquin is also flooded from the junction of N72 Dungarvan - Tallow road as far as the graveyard, with diversions in place through Lismore.
A Trampoline has made its way onto the road at the turnoff for Moyglass at Coolbawn Cross in North Tipperary.
Meanwhile, there are fallen branches on the Fethard to Killenaule route which is making driving treacherous.
There's a fallen tree at Clara in Kilkenny this morning.
There's also reports of fallen trees and debris in Clonmel in County Tipperary.
Two Wexford routeways are closed due to fallen debris.
The road between Meyler’s of Tacumshane and Broadway NS is completely blocked due to a fallen tree, while the road from Killinick to Broadway and Carne is also currently blocked.
The Passage East ferry, which connects Ballyhack in Wexford, across the River Suir, to East Waterford, have also suspended their services for the day due to the conditions.
While the Boardwalk in Kilkenny is closed for the foreseeable future, from the Lacken Steps to Ossory Bridge will be closed due to a fallen tree.
Keith Leonard, National Director for Fire & Emergency Management says people in counties with a red warning should not leave home:
Others are being urged to take extra care, and only make necessary journeys.
John McDarby is Road Safety Officer with Carlow County Council, speaking to Beat news, he has the following advice for road users:
The National Picture
The flood warning for Cork has subsided, however many of the city's usual flood zones have been inundated as the River Lee burst its banks earlier this morning.
⚠️Morrison's Island #Flooding
?Avoid Morrison's Island as it is currently experiencing flooding
ℹ️https://t.co/9BStYaa7Us#CorkFloods #StormBarra https://t.co/fTVrmX3p73
— Cork City Council (@corkcitycouncil) December 7, 2021
Lightning detected near the center of #StormBarra off the West coast as heavy rain, sleet and snow pushes across Ireland. Sustained winds over 80kmh on the South coast with gusts above 110kmh. pic.twitter.com/gq3rIe3akF
— Carlow Weather (@CarlowWeather) December 7, 2021
A mean wind speed of 52 kilometres an hour has been recorded at Johnstown Castle in Wexford this morning, with gusts of up to 89 km/h recorded at the weather station at Hook Head.
Sherkin Island has recorded a gust of 113 km/h in the last hour, along with a gust of 102 km/h recorded at Roches Point🍃#StormBarra pic.twitter.com/MF5ZGJeXNp
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) December 7, 2021
Oak Park in Carlow has recorded a mean speed of 37 Kilometres an hour.
Winds at the Fastnet continue to blow at CAT1 Hurricane strength W wind 132kmph with W gusts of 153kmph 0900 #StormBarra https://t.co/Z6R4D5bwjS
— Flood Information Service Ireland (@floodingireland) December 7, 2021
Sherkin Island has recorded the the highest mean wind speed so far at 81 kilometres an hour.
Latest reports, Sherkin island has recorded a mean wind speed of 81 km/h just touching into the red warning category ⚠️, keep safe today and follow instructions and advice given by the authorities under all circumstances. pic.twitter.com/on7dpOBPC4
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) December 7, 2021
