A status orange wind warning has been issued for five counties in Ireland, amid warnings of dangerous travelling conditions during Storm Gerrit.
The warning covering Clare, Cork, Kerry, Waterford and Wexford came into effect at 5pm and will be in place throughout Wednesday, lifting at midnight.
An earlier orange warning for Galway has been lifted.
Met Éireann said the five counties would see strong and very gusty westerly winds.
⚠️Status Orange - Wind warning for Clare, Cork, Kerry, Waterford, Wexford⚠️
Strong & very gusty westerly winds will reach storm or near storm force for a time this evening
Valid until 00:00 28/12/2023
More information here⬇️https://t.co/BoUueCIxKa pic.twitter.com/JxUBpSMmjhAdvertisement— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) December 27, 2023
The national forecaster said power outages and severe disruption were likely.
It warned of “dangerous travelling conditions” and the likelihood of coastal flooding.
A status yellow warning for wind and rain is in operation for the rest of the country until midnight on Wednesday.
Very strong and gusty south-westerly winds are forecast.
A further narrow band of heavy rain is currently crossing N. Ireland. Surface water, spray and spot flooding of roads continue to make for difficult travel conditions. #weatheraware pic.twitter.com/Wkosa8Dbj3
— Met Office - Northern Ireland (@metofficeNI) December 27, 2023
Met Éireann said the strong winds combined with spring tides may lead to coastal flooding in places covered by the yellow warning.
It said squally showers, with a chance of thunderstorms, could also see localised flooding elsewhere.
In Northern Ireland, a Met Office yellow wind and rain warning covering the entire region came into effect at 2am on Wednesday and lifted at 10am.
There were reports of localised floods in several areas in the region, with many roads closed as a consequence.
