Following on from Storm Dudley, Ireland is set for more stormy weather with the arrival of Storm Eunice.
Met Éireann Meteorologist Gerry Murphy has warned that Storm Eunice will be “short and sharp” which could mean red warnings in some parts of the country on Friday.
The storm is expected to hit the south-west of the country on Thursday night and move across the country overnight and into Friday morning with falls of heavy rain, sleet and snow in Connacht and Ulster.
There are likely to be “significant disruptions” because of the high winds overnight, he told Newstalk Breakfast.
“It will be a very challenging morning tomorrow.”
Giving a brief respite from Storm Dudley, Thursday is still set to be a blustery day with a mix of bright spells and some heavy showers, before cloud, rain and strengthening winds arrive ahead of the second storm, Storm Eunice.
At present, a status yellow warning is in place for all coastal areas around the country with west to northwest winds expected to reach gale force eight at times. The warning is in place until 10am on Thursday.
From 5am on Friday morning until 11am the same day, a status orange wind warning will be in place for counties Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Waterford, Galway, and Wexford.
According to Met Éireann, Storm Eunice is set to bring severe and potentially damaging winds, gusting up to 130km/h and higher in exposed areas.
Some disruption is expected along with a possibility of coastal flooding.
#StormEunice will bring challenging and disruptive conditions on Friday due to very strong winds, heavy rain and snow.
⚠️Weather Warnings for #rain, #wind and #snow are in place.
⚠️Keep an eye on the latest warnings and updates over the coming days ?? https://t.co/BoUueCIxKa pic.twitter.com/0od83XSror
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) February 17, 2022
Meanwhile, a yellow wind warning has been issued for the rest of the country from 1am on Friday until 3pm that day with some disruption likely as well as possible coastal and spot flooding.
Disruption
Amid the battering the country received by Storm Dudley on Wednesday, there was some disruption caused.
ESB networks reported a "few thousand homes" lost power on Wednesday in the midlands and northwest.
In a number of locations across the country, emergency services attended to fallen trees on roads.
Church Road, Mulhuddart is currently closed following a tree falling as a result of high winds.
Firefighter/Advanced Paramedics from Blanchardstown fire station responded to the scene and crews from @Fingalcoco are working to remove the tree. @DCCTraffic pic.twitter.com/bu7WDTVo3q
— Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) February 16, 2022
On Wednesday, another meeting was held by members of the Government committee charged with planning and co-ordinating responses to extreme weather events.
In a statement, the crisis management team warned of “severe and potentially dangerous winds” later this week when Storm Eunice hits the country. Further disruption is expected.
The crisis management team has said it will continue to monitor developments.
Amid the stormy weather conditions, the Road Safety Authority has asked road users to exercise caution when travelling over the next few days.
Gas Networks Ireland has said it does not anticipate any disruption to gas supplies.
More to follow...
-Additional reporting by Vivienne Clarke
