High winds and rain hit island of Ireland as weather warnings issued

Ireland is facing high winds and heavy rain, as both sides of the Irish border brace for the impact of two storms.

Storm Dudley and Storm Eunice are expected to cause significant disruption across the island over the coming days, with flooding possible in some areas.

On Wednesday, another meeting was held by members of the Irish Government committee charged with planning and co-ordinating responses to extreme weather events.

In a statement, the crisis management team warned of “severe and potentially dangerous winds” later this week when Storm Eunice hits the country.

The warning will take effect from 5am on Friday and will last until 11am, with 130km per hour gusts predicted in some areas.

A Status Yellow wind warning is in place until 11.30pm on Wednesday for the entirety of the Republic of Ireland, with gusts expected to reach 110km per hour.

In Northern Ireland, the Met Office has issued an amber wind warning for Co Antrim and Co Derry, with yellow warnings in place for the rest of the region.

That yellow warning will remain in place until 6am on Thursday, with the amber warning in place until midnight on Wednesday.

Storm Dudley is expected to clear away on Wednesday night, after a day of heavy rain and strong winds, according to Met Eireann.

It is anticipated that Storm Eunice will hit the island on Thursday night, bringing further wind, rain and the possibility of snow.

There have also been warnings about the possibility of flooding in some areas.

A Status Yellow wind, rain and snow warning will take effect in the Republic from 1am on Friday and will last until 3pm.

The Met Office has also issued a yellow warning for Northern Ireland from 3am on Friday, lasting until 6pm the same day.

Met Eireann meteorologist Matthew Martin said: “We’re keeping a very close eye on the forecast for Friday as Storm Eunice is expected to bring some challenging weather conditions, especially on Friday morning as strong winds, heavy rain and snow moves across the country.

“At the moment it looks like northern and western areas are most likely to see the heaviest snowfalls, with southern areas expected to see the strongest winds, however we’re still a few days ahead and the details of when and where are likely to change.

Police in the Republic of Ireland have already warned people to exercise caution amid concerns about flooding in some areas.

On the north coast, locals in the Northern Ireland town of Portstewart were not deterred by the heavy rain as they gathered at the promenade to take pictures of the surging sea and high waves.

Police and local officials did their best to discourage those who congregated.

Elsewhere, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) reported that at least one road in Lisburn had been blocked by a fallen tree.

In Mulhuddart in north Dublin, a road was also closed after a tree fell.

Dublin Fire Brigade staff were working on Wednesday evening to clear the debris.