Strong winds to continue with three weather warnings issued for 26 counties
Three wind warnings have been issued for 26 counties on Sunday.
Hundreds of homes, businesses and farms around the country remain without power this afternoon.
The ESB says there is currently a large fault in Greenore, Carlingford and surrounding areas of Co Louth.
Crews are out working to repair the issue and hope to have everyone's power restored today.
The outages come after stormy conditions overnight and into this morning.
There were three separate warnings in place overnight in relation to snow and ice, rainfall and wind.
The Status Yellow snow and rainfall warnings expired at midday.
Although the Status Yellow wind warning was lifted at 9am, strong winds are continuing across the country this afternoon.
This will continue for the remainder of the weekend with three weather warnings issued for Sunday.
A Status Orange wind warning has been issued for counties Donegal, Galway and Mayo. Winds of up to 80km/h and severe gusts of 110km/h are forecast with a risk of coastal flooding. This warning will take effect at 11am on Sunday and will remain in place until 3pm.
A Status Yellow wind warning will be in place for fifteen counties from 5am until 5pm on Sunday.
The counties included in this warning are Dublin, Louth, Wexford, Wicklow, Meath, Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo, Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick and Waterford.
These areas can expect winds of up to 65km/h and gusts of between 90 and 110km/h. There is also a risk of coastal flooding around high tide.
The third warning issued is a Status Yellow wind warning covers 11 counties and runs from 6am until 4pm tomorrow.
Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Offaly, Westmeath, Cavan, Monaghan, Roscommon and Tipperary will see strong winds and gusts of up to 90km/h.
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) are reminding road users to take extra care during the unsettled weather.
"Anyone who is undertaking an essential journey should check in with the local weather and traffic conditions to find out what they are like in their area," said Brian Farrell, Communications Manager at the RSA.
"If you are dealing with snow and ice, the important thing is to make sure your vehicle is clear of any snow, that you can clearly see out of your windows.
"When you are on your journey, gently does it. No harsh braking, acceloration or steering."
: Thousands of people are without power this morning as a Status Yellow warning for snow and ice across is currently in place for 20 counties.
The warning came into effect at 2am and will remain in place until midday today.
Many places across the country woke up to a thin blanket of snow this morning after some snowfall overnight.
Met Éireann warned there could be snow accumulations of 5cm possible in Connacht, Leinster, Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal with more falling on higher ground.
There is another Status Yellow warning in place this morning for Cork, Kerry and Waterford this morning.
The rainfall warning is in place since midnight and remains in place until midday with 30 to 40mm of rainfall expected.
Around 8,000 homes, farms and businesses are without power after strong winds and some snow overnight.
The ESB says there are three large outages in Enniscrone, Co Sligo; Tuam, Co Galway and Dundalk, Co Louth with crews working to restore the supply.
Customers in these areas can expect to have power at least partially restored shortly.
Faults have been reported in Co Cork in Bantry, Beara, Castletownbere and Ardgroom.
ESB crews are currently working to repair these faults as quickly as possible and it is expected that all area will have power restored by the end of the day.
Cork City Council has warned of minor river flooding over the weekend. Preparations to protect against flooding began yesterday at a number of locations around the city.
The council has asked people to take extra care when driving in these areas over the weekend.
Both warnings were accompanied by a Status Yellow wind warning with gusts of up to 90km/h.
This warning for counties Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo, Clare, Cork, Kerry and Waterford came into effect at 9pm on Friday night and was in place until 9am this morning.
Here is the latest rain & snow forecast from our HARMONIE weather model. It covers the period from now until Monday morning. Heavy rain across southern parts today, with blustery falls of sleet & snow pushing north-eastwards, bringing hazardous conditions. https://t.co/9gKN6SVok4 pic.twitter.com/155HcqcVSk
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) February 13, 2021
Alan O'Reilly from Carlow Weather says snow showers will persist in places over the weekend before milder conditions return next week.
"It's slowly going to be turning much less cold while it will continue to be very windy. Those winds will continue.
"Also continuing are falls of sleet, snow and rain with the heaviest rain in the south of the country but clearing east later through the day with some dry spells for at least a while.
"But the winds will continue strong all the time."
Sunday will see another Status Yellow wind warning for 15 counties with strong to gale force winds expected.
The warning for Dublin, Louth, Wexford, Wicklow, Meath, Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo, Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick and Waterford will be in place from 6am tomorrow morning until 6pm on Sunday evening.
For a period, there will be a risk of more severe gusts in parts of the west while there is a risk of coastal flooding in parts of the country.
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