Stay safe out there.
Storm Brendan is drawing near and the team at Met Éireann has taken the precaution of extending the existing status orange warning to the entire country.
Here’s the state of play as of Sunday afternoon:
A status orange wind warning for Connacht, Donegal and Kerry will come into effect at 5am on Monday morning (13 January) and remain valid until 9pm that night.
Met Éireann notes that as Storm Brendan tracks to the northwest of the country, southerly winds will hit mean speeds of 65 to 80 kilometres per hour with gusts generally up to 130 kilometres per hour, higher in exposed areas.
There is also a significant risk of flooding due to the combination of high spring tides and storm surge.
A second status orange warning for Leinster, Cavan, Monaghan, Clare, Cork, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford will come into effect at 8am on Monday morning and is valid until 3pm that afternoon.
In this case, southerly winds are expected to reach mean speeds of 50 to 70 kilometres per hour with gusts of 100 to 120 kilometres per hour, higher in exposed areas.
This warning also carries the same significant risk of flooding.
In addition to these, a status red gale warning has been in place since 2pm on Sunday.
Gale force 8 to storm force 10 southerly winds are anticipated overnight into Monday morning, affecting all Irish coastal waters and on the Irish Sea.
Winds are expected to reach “violent” storm force 11 at times from Mizen Head to Slyne Head to Malin Head.
For a guide to what the individual Met Éireann warnings mean, click here.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
