Met Éireann should make flood warning public in the same way it does weather warnings, Alan O’Reilly of Carlow Weather has urged. 

The State forecaster issued a yellow weather warning ahead of Storm Chandra, predicting the country was about to be deluged with rain. 

Wexford, Wicklow and South Dublin were particularly badly impacted and some areas suffered from flooding. 

On Newstalk Breakfast, Mr O’Reilly said the public deserve to be told if Met Éireann thinks flooding is likely.  

 “Rainfall warnings are exactly that,” he explained. 

“They are a warning of what rainfall is to fall, it doesn't take into account how high the river levels are or how sodden the ground is or how much rain has fallen in the last week or two weeks.

“There is a flood forecasting team in Met Éireann, they do produce flood forecasts - they're just not made public.” 

A man sits on a park bench with water to his shins as the River Dodder floods in Dublin City. Picture by: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie.

Instead the forecasts are sent to local authorities, which they are then use to inform their response. 

“It'll be very interesting to hear what was in those on Monday,” he said. 

“But I think by any stretch of the imagination, the public were let down. 

“Let's be honest about it, I was showing charts showing that over 100 millimeters of rain was going to fall on the Dublin and Wicklow Mountains and already the river levels were very high. 

“It's not rocket science to put the two things together and know that there was going to be flooding and that's why I said in my social media update there will be flooding.” 

Flooding in Rathfarnham. Picture by: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie.

Mr O’Reilly continued that businesses in areas where flooding is common often contact him in a panic, asking if there is a risk to their livelihoods. 

“Like there's people down in Middleton that are monitoring water levels in the river,” he said. 

“They're messaging me asking about the rainfall, they're trying to do it themselves based on the fact that they suffer from anxiety.

“Just make it public, let's get on. 

“It's 10 years since the flood forecasting, flood warning system was announced.” 

Met Éireann has been contacted for comment.

Main image: A man cycling through floods on Nutgrove Avenue, Rathfarnham after the River Dodder flooded in Dublin. Picture by: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie.