An orange weather warning has been issued for Cork, Kerry and Waterford today as Storm Babet reaches the region.
The warning is in effect from 6am today until 1pm tomorrow, October 18th.
Met Éireann has warned people can expect localised flooding, difficult driving conditions and poor visibility.
A yellow weather warning has also been issued for Clare, Limerick, Tipperary, Kilkenny and Wexford from 6am today until 1pm tomorrow.
A yellow rain warning has been issued for Connacht and will be in effect from 12pm today until 1pm tomorrow.
#StornBabet isn’t our usual storm that hits and moves on by next day. This system will stall and spin around dropping huge volumes of rain in parts. By Saturday it could bring over 90mm to many parts of Ireland, Scotland could see over 150-200mm. Flooding risk is very high. pic.twitter.com/Sd0cwnusW3
— Carlow Weather (@CarlowWeather) October 16, 2023
Cork Safety Alerts announced Cork County Council’s Severe Weather Assessment Team convened this evening and has crews on standby in several known risk locations across the county.
It warned people to “exercise extreme caution as driving conditions may be hazardous, with surface flash flooding possible”.
“Motorists are advised to avoid driving through flowing or standing water and to exercise caution during heavy rain,” it said.
“Motorists are also asked to be conscious of cyclists and pedestrians.”
The race is on before the rain returns. A cool dry night ahead for many parts before rain pushes into the Southwest by early morning. Ranging from 0c in North and Midlands to 11c in South. pic.twitter.com/Ye1NlGk6QH
— Carlow Weather (@CarlowWeather) October 16, 2023
Metrologist Alan O’Reilly said Ireland still does not have a “active flood warning system”.
“Weather warning systems are taking into account the rainfall, but the cumulative effect if the ground already being saturated and the expected heavy rainfall does mean rainfall is going to become an issue,” he said.
“Those in areas prone to flooding should be alert.”
