MET Éireann issues status yellow rainfall warning as stormy weather continues

MET Éireann has issued a status yellow rainfall warning for three counties; the third-highest warning they can give. The warning, which will remain in place until 6 pm tonight, alerts residents to take preventative action against potential flooding.

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Forecasters have said, “A slow-moving band of rain is expected to bring heavy and persistent rain over the period; with rainfall amounts of 25-50mm expected. There is potential for higher amounts in mountainous regions and spot flooding is possible.” The counties currently affected are Donegal, Mayo and Sligo.

What’s more, further rainfall is expected across the country tonight and Tuesday. MET Éireann will continue to monitor the situation, updating the national weather warning as they see fit.

Storm Callum

Forecaster Alan O’Reilly from Carlow Weather has warned the stormy conditions will carry on into the weekend. Sharing weather charts via Twitter this morning, he said, “a very damaging storm with extreme gusts” is developing over the Atlantic Ocean. The storm, which will be called Storm Callum, appears to be making its way towards Ireland and could make landfall by Thursday.

Overnight charts continue to show a serious storm Thursday night into Friday with damaging gusts. Some charts continue to show gusts of over 130kmh on the West coast and over 110kmh widely. This will be called #StormCallum if these charts verify! pic.twitter.com/iUDhU5BJpx

— Carlow Weather (@CarlowWeather) October 8, 2018

O’Reilly notes the “exact track and intensity of the storm will chop and change” over the next few days, but charts suggest gusts of over 130km/h will hit the west of the country, while the rest of Ireland will see wind over 110km/h.

His weather forecast is supported by MET Éireann, who has predicted rain will spread to all parts of the country on Thursday with strong, gusty winds. The meteorologists add Friday will be “wet and very windy”, particularly during the morning. They have warned the weekend will remain “unsettled with more rain likely.”

High temperatures

Despite strong gusts and heavy rain forecast for most of the week, Wednesday will be surprisingly warm and dry. Temperatures are expected to rise to 21C, before dropping again on Thursday. This sporadic blast of heat reflects the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The research published today shows the consequences of climate change are worse than we previously thought; with extreme weather events set to become more common.

Photo by Erik Witsoe on Unsplash