Storm Babet: Flood barriers in place across Cork, Kerry and Waterford
Bantry in West Cork was hit with torrential rain as Storm Babet made landfall, forcing people to battle against the wet and windy conditions with umbrellas. Picture: Andy Gibson
Flood barriers are being erected across Cork, Kerry, and Waterford as Storm Babet begins to sweep across Ireland.
Every county is under a weather warning from Met Éireann because of the storm, with heavy rain showers and strong and gusty east to southeast winds set to have major impacts on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.
Cork, Kerry and Waterford are under a status orange alert for rain, with flooding, poor visibility, dangerous road conditions, wave overtopping and power outages all possible.
It came into effect at 6am on Tuesday morning and expires at 1pm on Wednesday afternoon.
The rest of Munster and the country are under separate status yellow alerts from the national forecaster.
A rain warning for Clare, Tipperary, Limerick, and Connacht will expire at 6pm on Wednesday, while an alert for Leinster, Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan lasts until 8pm on Wednesday.
Many county councils have put in measures to try and prevent serious damage.
Some roads in Cork are already suffering from flooding, including the Lower Glanmire Road.
Parts of Cobh are flooded near the IFI, while a Cork Safety Alert post claimed a vehicle was stuck/abandoned in flood water between Crosshaven and Carrigaline
Cork County Council’s severe weather assessment team convened on Tuesday afternoon to assess the current situation.
A spokesperson said: "Council crews remain on standby in several known risk locations across the county and have been clearing debris from inlets and gullies to address surface flooding issues."
Sandbags and pumping arrangements are currently in place in known "problem" locations, while flood barriers have been raised in Mallow and Fermoy, with no traffic restrictions currently in place.
Spot flooding is occurring at locations including the R595 Baltimore Road.
The council is asking members of the public to exercise extreme caution as driving conditions may be hazardous, with surface flash flooding possible.
Rolling road closures will be in effect as Council crews deal with the impact of heavy rain, high tides and wave overtopping. All routes will be monitored and may be subject to closure depending on conditions. Council crews remain on standby in several known risk locations across the county and are responding to incidents as they occur.
The Council continues to ask members of the public to exercise extreme caution as driving conditions will be hazardous, with surface flash flooding and localised flooding. Motorists are advised to avoid driving through flowing or standing water and to exercise caution during heavy rain. Motorists are also asked to be especially conscious of vulnerable road users such as cyclists and pedestrians.
With high river levels, members of the public are advised to stay high, stay dry and stay away from the coast, rivers and lakes.
Motorists are advised to avoid driving through flowing or standing water and to exercise caution during heavy rain.
Motorists are also asked to be especially conscious of vulnerable road users such as cyclists and pedestrians.
With high river levels, members of the public are advised to stay high, stay dry and stay away from the coast, rivers and lakes
Over 30mm of rain has already fallen across Kerry, resulting in difficult road conditions across the county.
The R551 Ballyduff to Causeway road has been flooded, though a Kerry County Council statement said it was "passable".
The council has produced an emergency phone line to report any flooding or other issues — with the line set to remain operational throughout the evening.
Having initially opted to shut certain areas of the county, Waterford County Council backtracked, saying Davitt’s Quay Carpark, The Look Out, Castle Street Carpark, and The Pond in Dungarvan will remain open, despite Storm Babet.
An evaluation of the current weather conditions and the anticipated conditions for Tuesday evening has taken place, following a meeting of the Waterford City and County Council’s severe weather management team.
However. the council is advising the public to ensure no cars are left in these car parks overnight as they are at risk of coastal flooding.
The latest prediction from Met Éireann says rain is due with "heavy falls at times extending throughout the country this afternoon and evening".
"The rain will be particularly heavy across southern counties, with localised flooding possible."
It will continue wet and breezy to start Tuesday evening, but the rain will clear for a time before returning from the south by morning
As it stands, there will be rain every day until the weekend, with localised flooding remaining a possibility.
Check out the Irish Examiner's WEATHER CENTRE for regularly updated short and long range forecasts wherever you are.
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