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LAST UPDATE | 22 Nov 2024
A STATUS RED rain warning will be in place overnight in counties Cork and Galway as Storm Bert sweeps over Ireland.
Met Éireann has warned the public that this weekend will be much wetter and windier than normal.
Storm Bert will pick up later tonight as very wet and windy conditions are expected.
Members of the public in areas under a Red warning have been urged to “shelter in place” and avoid travelling.
The heaviest rain will be in the southwest, causing flooding in some areas. Snow and sleet could form in the north and northwest.
There will be very strong and gusty south to southeast winds, with the strongest winds in areas near coasts.
Temperatures will drop overnight to between 0 and 5 degrees, but will get warmer as the night goes on.
The Status Red warnings for Cork and Galway will be in place from midnight until 10am on Saturday, with warnings of severe flooding, damage to homes and businesses, and dangerous travelling conditions.
A Status Orange warning for rain will also be in place from midnight until 10am Saturday across Clare, Kerry, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo, and Waterford.
Met Éireann warns of intense falls of rain over a short period of time in these counties and possible impacts include surface flooding, possible river flooding, and very difficult travelling conditions.
Elsewhere, a Status Yellow wind and rain warning will be in place from 10pm tonight until 12 noon Saturday across Leinster, Connacht, Cavan and Monaghan.
In these regions, Storm Bert will bring very strong southeast to south winds, coupled with heavy rain.
Possible impacts include localised flooding, travel disruption and fallen trees.
Separately, a Status Yellow warning for wind, rain, snow and ice will be in place from 10pm tonight until 12 noon tomorrow in Co Donegal, where snow will turn to rain, coupled with strong southeast to south winds.
And the impacts of Storm Bert will be felt into Sunday too, with a Status Yellow wind warning in place from 5pm Saturday to 2am on Sunday night in Carlow, Cork, Kerry, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford, and Wicklow.
Meanwhile, a Yellow alert has been put in place by the UK Met Office across Northern Ireland, with a rain and snow warning in place from midnight until 11am tomorrow, and a wind warning in place from 5am Saturday to 7pm Saturday.
Tomorrow morning will be very wet and windy, conditions that will last until midday.
Warmer temperatures are expected, however, between 12 and 15 degrees. Strong southerly winds will sweep across the country all day tomorrow.
⚠️ Latest guidance on #StormBert and some context for the warnings issued can be found in our updated meteorologist commentary
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) November 22, 2024
🔗 Have a look at the full piece and share for increased public safety:https://t.co/DAXYZIBPVW pic.twitter.com/qXErz14qt9
The National Directorate for Fire & Emergency Management (NDFEM), Met Éireann and relevant agencies met this morning to discuss the weather warnings which will impact the country tonight and into the weekend.
The NDFEM said it will continue to liaise with Met Éireann and monitor the situation, while local authority Severe Weather Assessment Teams will monitor conditions locally and have emergency response teams in place.
“It is quite clear that we will have challenging weather conditions at local level in many counties in the west and south west,” said Keith Leonard, national director of the NDFEM
“For those in areas affected by red level rain and wind warnings, I would particularly stress that the safest advice for those affected is to shelter in place and do not travel during the duration of the warning.”
Leonard also advised members of the public to monitor Met Éireann’s advice updates and act accordingly.
“Even after the storm has passed, there is a strong possibility of road flooding or fallen trees so drivers are urged to take care in the aftermath of the storm,” he said.
“For all members of the public, whatever part of the country you are in, rain and winds will be a factor overnight and early tomorrow,” Leonard said, urging people to stay away from coastal areas while the alerts remain in place.
Cork County Council has said its staff will be monitoring the situation in vulnerable areas such as Bantry and Midleton throughout the night.
Cork County Council crews have inspected “key high-risk areas” and “pumping arrangements are in place in known problem locations”.
Sandbags are available at priority locations while flood barriers have been installed in Mallow and Fermoy as a precaution, the Council said.
Issues such as flooding and road damage can be reported over the course of the weekend to the Council’s Emergency Out of Hours number (021) 4800048.
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has also advised road users in Cork and Galway to avoid any travel during the Status Red alert.
The RSA has advised road users in areas under Orange or Yellow alerts to take extreme care over the weekend.
Gabriel Hynes, Senior Engineer with Waterford City and County Council, has urged the public to exercise caution and added that while the warning remains in place, the public should to heed all public safety advice and avoid unnecessary journeys.
He said anyone making car journeys should drive with caution, allow extra time, avoid driving through flowing or standing water and be conscious of vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists.
Met Éireann meteorologist Andrew Doran-Sherlock said Storm Bert will bring milder but very wet and windy conditions for the weekend.
Doran-Sherlock said that heavy rain will likely lead to localised flooding in urban areas and some river catchments, particularly in the west and southwest, as this rain is falling on already saturated and waterlogged ground.
He added that Met Éireann is closely monitoring the situation and will upgrade or issue warnings as its high resolution model is analysed.
This model provides information two days ahead.
He remarked that there is a strong likelihood of status orange wind warnings in western and northwestern counties.
The impacts from Storm Bert will commence later today and continue through the weekend and potentially through early next week as well.
Meanwhile, Dr Jennifer Keenahan, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at University College Dublin, warned that the storm’s timing is concerning because it will bring heavy rainfall onto already saturated ground.
She added that from a structural engineering perspective, Storm Bert presents several “critical concerns for our bridge infrastructure” and that the combination of heavy rainfall and strong winds creates multiple challenges.
“The saturated ground conditions significantly increase the risk of scour around bridge foundations, where fast-moving water can erode the supporting soil beneath bridge piers,” said Keenaghan.
“This is particularly worrisome when coupled with the intense rainfall predicted for this evening.
“The storm surge and wave action will create both lateral and vertical forces on bridge structures and these forces can be especially problematic as they can generate upward pressures on bridge decks.”
-With additional reporting from Diarmuid Pepper and David Mac Redmond
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Congo 1961
Lebanon 1982
Leitrim 1983
Golan Heights 2015
If these armed confrontations don’t ring a bell in your memory Uisce man , then you really don’t know what you are talking about .
Don’t comment on things you know nothing about .
Apology accepted
I remember the 83 civil war in Leitrim well. The siege of Manorhamilton was especially brutal. There was no tayto allowed into the town for over 3 weeks. It was just like Stalingrad!
@Paul Devlin: you think you are being funny, you are not. A Garda and a member of the defence forces died during the event you are being “funny” about.
Let’s wish them safe home.
Omg God forbid our armed forces would ever see a real life fire fight
So this is gonna be your Sunday John?
Omg God forbid you would ever end up within an asses roar of a fire fighting
Bigly
We should take pride in that our armed forces aren’t involved in killing other people for political nonsense. Irish troops have been involved in many peacekeeping missions where they have fought to protect normal people. Ignorant and uneducated comment.
Maybe you should watch Siege at Jadotville.
Very good advice there Richard. Irish troops, for the most part have always been trained from British Army Field Manuals, the very same Manuals that conquered the world for centuries. It was a combination of Irish grit and British Army Defence Fighting Manuals that won Jadotville, just as it did at Rourke’s Drift and many other worldwide battles where the enemy came in overwhelming numbers. Anybody who doubts the pride and integrity of the Irish Defence Forces, literally hasn’t got a clue. One thing that sets the Irish Soldier apart is inherent dialogue. That’s why they are highly sought after. They can go from Peacekeepers to Peace Enforcers at the drop of a hat.
Cringing that 40 people liked John Smith’s comment
What would you know about it Civvie
Where you ever in one John?
The only firefight Smith had was a row with a sibling about poking the fire.
@John Smith: my former husband served in the Defence forces for 36 years, he served twice as a peace keeper in Lebanon and I can a sure he did see real life fire fighting. He had to even pull dead bodies of women and children from bombed cars. How dare you assume you have knowledge of what our men and women go through when keeping the peace in another country. My marriage broke up over the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and alcohol from what he witnessed over in Lebanon. People like you make me sick as you just haven’t a clue.
@Charliegrl80, well said. This guy is a joke. I’ve had mates from my unit, pulled from explosions, suffering serious injuries, other members of my unit were kidnapped and murdered. The sacrifices these guys made were extraordinary. This joker wouldnt last a week, and he should beg forgiveness for his ignorance. I hope peace returns to you and your husband. Take care.
Their experience should come in handy when the Irish jihadists return home too then. And of course we have an open border with the UK so their jihadists are our jihadists:
“Just one in eight of the 400 British foreign fighters who have travelled to Syria and since returned home has been successfully prosecuted.
Figures disclosed by the Home Office show that only 54 fighters from the UK suspected of having fought in Syria and Iraq have been convicted of an offence.
Security services estimate that since 2012, 400 British Muslims who have joined terrorist groups such as Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) and al-Qaeda have returned to the UK.
The official statistics will raise serious concerns over the failure of the authorities to keep track of dangerous jihadists in Britain.
“We need to know why so many haven’t been prosecuted. It suggests to me that they have have simply gone off the radar while our security services try to play catch-up.”
Prof Anthony Glees
Security experts told The Telegraph how the low prosecution rate showed for the first time that many foreign fighters returning from Syria who posed a real risk were now “off the radar”.
Experts on the conflict say the number who have returned could be as high as 800 to 1,000. Some are known to have faked their own deaths and slipped back into Britain using new identities.”
“IRELAND HAS BEEN found to have the second highest per capita rate of Muslims going to fight in Syria out of a survey of 25 countries.”
@Marlowemallow: Not according to The Irish dictators in Clonskeagh, they have said there/are no jihads in Ireland or they would know about them. Before you red thumb this comment look up the meaning of taqiyya which is part of sharia.
I think my comment above was meant for John Smith …Apologies Fear Uisce
Not to worry they will be protected by Mo or Ali from Clonskeagh via Libya both of whom are doing humanitarian work , we will get the chance to see both of them on Tubridy and the Irish Times weekend
Congo
Leba
Peacekeepers are risk. That’s not exactly news is it.
Will ISIS circumcise our troops?
Val I like your posts generally Dont let yourself down
Peace keepers with guns!!
Rifles actually
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