Ireland’s government is contemplating significant changes to Met Éireann’s weather warning system, following the unprecedented impact of Storm Éowyn. Environment and Climate Minister Darragh O’Brien has indicated that Ireland might adopt aspects of the UK’s impact-based warning approach, moving away from the current system that relies primarily on wind speed measurements.
The existing Irish system operates on specific wind speed thresholds, with yellow warnings triggered at 50-65km/h, orange at 65-80km/h, and red warnings for gusts exceeding 80km/h. In contrast, the UK Met Office bases its warnings on a combination of weather severity and potential impact on communities and infrastructure.
This potential shift comes in the wake of Storm Éowyn, which saw exceptional wind speeds reaching 185 kilometers per hour in Galway. While Minister O’Brien praised Met Éireann’s performance during the recent storm, he acknowledged room for improvement, particularly in how warnings consider county boundaries and potential impact assessment.
The government is also taking steps to strengthen the country’s electrical infrastructure. A new ‘Winter 2025 Grid Resilience Plan’ will be developed within the next month, with implementation scheduled between March and October. Key initiatives include increasing spare parts inventory and creating forestry corridors to protect overhead power lines.
According to The Journal, the discussion around weather warning reforms has gained political significance, with Taoiseach Micheál Martin acknowledging the need to reevaluate the current red, orange, and yellow system. This comes as approximately 18,000 premises remain without power, highlighting the ongoing impact of the storm.
Opposition parties have criticized the government’s handling of the storm’s aftermath, particularly the decision to maintain the Dáil’s recess during the week following the storm. They argue that more parliamentary time should have been allocated to discuss the storm’s impacts and response measures.
The proposed changes reflect a growing recognition of the need to adapt Ireland’s weather warning systems and infrastructure to meet the challenges of increasingly severe weather events driven by climate change.