Met Éireann has issued a Status Red weather warning for County Donegal as wind speeds pick up.
As Storm Amy barrels towards the Irish coast, 10 other counties in Connacht and Ulster have been issued with Status Orange warnings, while Yellow weathering warnings are in place for the remaining 21.
Some weather warnings will expire on Friday evenings, while others will remain in place until Saturday.
On Newstalk Breakfast, Keith Leonard of the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government said the weather warning mean “dangerous and hazardous conditions”.
“A lot of trees are still in leaf, so particularly in those counties covered by the Orange Warning, there could be a lot of trees down,” he explained.
“So, really there’s likely to be disruption across the road network today and tomorrow.
“And again, high seas is going to be a key feature of this storm.”
Mr Leonard added that there is the “potential” for flooding in some parts of the country as well.
“Local authorities have been out clearing gullies and minimising the risk of surface flooding,” he said.
“But there is always a potential for that.
“We met with all the local authorities yesterday, principal response agencies and the key utilities.
“We heard about the arrangements they have in place to respond as quickly as possible, once this storm blows through to try and deal with any disruption and any damage.”
Main image: Heavy rain. Picture by: AG News/Alamy Live News
