Orange wind warnings have been issued for multiple counties in west and south of Ireland with Storm Kathleen approaching.
An Orange warning came into effect in Cork, Kerry and Waterford at 7am this morning until 2pm.
Another Orange warning is in effect in Galway and Mayo from 9am to 6pm today.
There is also a level Orange warning from Roches Point to Loop Head to Rossan Point from 5am to 3pm.
The entirety of Ireland is also under a status Yellow wind warning until 8pm tonight.
#CorkTraffic Tree down on cables on the R600 between Ballinspittle and Kinsale, just outside Ballinspittle. Take care on approach. #StormKathleen pic.twitter.com/eGBQNAtgwH
— Cork Safety Alerts (@CorkSafetyAlert) April 6, 2024
The National Directorate for Fire & Emergency Management (NDFEM) crisis management team held a Met Éireann briefing on Friday morning to assess possible impacts from the Storm Kathleen.
The storm will bring gale force southerly winds, with some severe and damaging gusts.
Gusts of 111km has already been reported on the south coast, with sustained wind of 85km per hour at Roches Point.
Winds will peak over the next 2-6 hours for most areas but only slowly easing off this evening.
Very difficult travel conditions, fallen trees, some power outages, coastal flooding are expected.
#StormKathleen rolls into St. Finan’s Bay, The Glen, Ballinskelligs, with a backdrop of the iconic Sceilg Mhichíl & Sceilg Beag. #storm @MetEireann @radiokerrynews @wildatlanticway @CarlowWeather @countykerry @SCDarkSkyFest @PaschalSheehy pic.twitter.com/yOxF082YCd
— Valerie O'Sullivan (@valphoto) April 6, 2024
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) is asking road users to exercise caution while using the roads on Saturday.
Several flights to the UK have been cancelled this morning as Storm Kathleen is expected to cause delays and diversions.
The Curragh Racecourse announced earlier today that the fixture scheduled for today has been cancelled following a further 4mm of rain in the last 24 hours.
Cork County Engineer Niall Healy said the weather will hit hard in the morning but will gradually ease as the day continues.
"The peak period for the warning is the period between 7am and 9am on Saturday," he said.
"So we'd ask people to try and avoid travelling during those hours.
"The winds will slacken gradually as the day progresses so the worst of the impact is expected to be between 7am and 9am".
