The first named storm of the winter has officially been confirmed with gale force winds, supermoon spring tides and the risk of coastal flooding on the way this weekend.
Met Éireann has issued an Status Orange wind warning for parts of the country as Storm Ashley is set to bare down over Ireland.
The orange warning for Galway and Mayo is due to be in force from midday to 9pm on Sunday with the possibility of coastal flooding, large coastal waves, difficult travelling conditions and dangerous conditions at sea.
Met Éireann is also warning of the possibility of fallen trees and damage to powerlines causing outages in the area.
Meanwhile, the entire island is due to be under a Status Yellow warning from 10am to midnight on Sunday.
A weather chart shows Storm Ashley approaching Ireland on Sunday. Image: Met ÉireannStorm Ashley was originally expected to largely miss Ireland, but Alan O'Reilly from Carlow Weather told Newstalk that it now looks like she will bear down right across the country.
“The overnight weather models do actually bring the centre of that storm on Sunday closer to Ireland now," Mr O'Reilly said.
"We were hoping that the centre of that storm would track further out in the Atlantic but the overnight models are showing it coming right in over us on Sunday," he added.
Status Orange - Wind warning for Galway, Mayo
Met Éireann Weather Warning⚠️Storm Ashley will bring very strong and gusty southerly winds, coupled with high spring tides🌊🌪️
Valid: 12:00 Sunday 20/10/2024 to 21:00 Sunday 20/10/2024
More details here⬇️https://t.co/cmHvlI0GRs pic.twitter.com/TWaQ4PbpBw
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) October 18, 2024
Mr O’Reilly said the Storm could bring significant damage to parts of the country.
“We have very high spring tides at the moment and if we get the worst of the storm hitting at high tide, we could see significant coastal flooding along the western coast especially.
"But also, we have leaves still on the trees, so wind damage and powerlines coming down, etc., are other risks that we need to be very aware of as we come towards the weekend.”
This morning, patchy rain and drizzle is due to extend across the country, with conditions turning breezy in the coming hours.
Men out jogging as waves from Storm Jocelyn hit the coast at Poolbeg, 23-1-24. Image: Sasko Lazarov/© RollingNews.ie
