Met Éireann has upgraded weather warnings on Saturday for the arrival of Storm Jorge.
A red alert has been issued for Galway and Clare.
The forecaster says there will be very severe winds associated with the storm.
Westerly winds will reach mean speeds of 85 to 100km/h in places in the afternoon, with gusts of 130 to 145km/h.
There is also an elevated risk of coastal flooding.
Wind Warning associated with #StormJorge
Level: RED
For Galway and Clare
Valid from 13:00 Sat, 29-Feb-2020
Valid until 16:00 Sat, 29-Feb-2020https://t.co/juduxcKda8 pic.twitter.com/vWA0aYTt60— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) February 28, 2020
This is in place from 1.00pm to 4:00pm on Saturday.
The rest of the country will be under a status orange weather warning.
Met Éireann's Evelyn Cusack told The Hard Shoulder they will keep monitoring the situation overnight.
She explained: "[A red warning] is very serious, but all parts of the country are going to get some serious weather for a few hours tomorrow afternoon.
"There could be a tree down anywhere, no matter where you are... and there is a risk of some localised flooding."
She added there could be a 'bit of snow and hail' tomorrow, as temperatures are set to plummet.
Warnings
Met Éireann upgraded its earlier alerts, which saw parts of the country under a yellow alert.
A status orange wind warning has been issued for Galway, Mayo, Clare, Kerry, Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Leinster, Cavan, Monaghan, Roscommon, Cork, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford.
A status yellow rainfall warning will also be in effect for Munster, Connacht and Donegal.
A red warning is issued for "rare and very dangerous weather conditions", Met Éireann says.
This is when widespread mean speeds in excess of 80 km/h and/or gusts over 130 km/h are expected.
There could also be violent storm force coastal winds.
The National Emergency Coordination Group met earlier on Friday, ahead of the storm's arrival.
