Storm Erik: Met Éireann issues status orange and yellow warnings for all counties

It will be a very wet and windy weekend in Ireland this week, as Storm Erik looks set to batter the west coast with rain and high winds.

Met Éireann issued three weather warnings today ahead of the weekend, forecasting winds of 65 to 80 km/hr, with high coastal seas. There has been a Status Orange wind warning issued for Galway, Mayo and Donegal, as the storm will bring some severe or damaging gusts of 110 to 130 km/hr, with a risk of some coastal flooding.

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The warnings are in place from 5 am to 1 pm on Friday in Galway and Mayo, and from 9 am Friday to 6 am Saturday in Donegal.

Wind Warnings issued for Storm Erik
Status Orange: for Donegal, Galway & Mayo.
Gusts to 130 km/h

Status Yellow: for all areas
Gusts to 110 km/h

Valid from Friday 5am (Validity times vary).https://t.co/ozrQHtoOkt #StormErik pic.twitter.com/5H6TVe57QZ

— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) February 7, 2019

Elsewhere in the country, a Status Yellow wind warning has been issued for all remaining counties, from 5 am on Friday to 6 am on Saturday. According to Met Éireann, southwest to west winds will reach mean speeds of 50 to 65 km/hr with gusts of 80 to 110 km/hr. The winds will be at their worst along exposed Atlantic coasts, with a risk of flooding.

The weather forecast

Apart from the storm warnings, we can expect blustery showers across the country over the weekend, with mild temperatures ranging from around 7-10 Celsius during the day; dropping to around 0 to 4 Celsius at night. While Storm Erik will largely be passed by Saturday afternoon, there will still be a risk of hailstones and thunderstorms on Sunday, but dry on Monday with bright spells.

Featured image: Varshesh Joshi on Unsplash