Status Orange wind warnings have been issued for five counties along Ireland’s west coast ahead of Storm Amy’s arrival tomorrow, with Met Éireann warning of potentially dangerous conditions.
The Orange alert covers Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo from 2pm to 10pm on Friday, with forecasters predicting near gale-force to gale-force winds that could cause fallen trees, power outages and wave overtopping. A Status Yellow wind warning remains in place for the rest of the country.
Today, heavy rainfall is expected to impact Ireland, particularly the northwest, west and southwest regions. A Status Orange rain warning is currently in effect for Kerry until 8pm, while a Status Yellow rain warning covers the remaining Munster counties, Cavan, Donegal and Connacht. A thunderstorm warning for Connacht warns of possible lightning damage until 2pm.
Operational forecaster Liz Walsh said a rare Status Red marine warning will be in place tomorrow from 3pm to 8pm from Loop Head to Rossan Point to Fair Head, describing it as “very dangerous”. She did not rule out the possibility of a Status Red land warning for Donegal or Mayo, calling it “an unfolding situation”.
Storm Amy, the first named storm of the season, is being fuelled by a strong jet stream influenced by hurricanes Humberto and Imelda near Bermuda. The storm will undergo rapid deepening on Friday, bringing its main impact then, though blustery conditions will continue through the weekend.
Iarnród Éireann has cancelled planned bridge and coastal defence works between Dun Laoghaire and Greystones this weekend due to safety concerns from the forecast high winds.