By David Young, PA
An orange wind warning has been extended to cover seven counties as Storm Ashley arrives on the island of Ireland.
Kerry, Leitrim and Sligo have been added to the orange alert already covering Clare, Donegal, Mayo and Galway.
The warning will be in place from 12pm to 8pm on Sunday.
Met Éireann said the first named storm of the season will bring very strong and gusty south to south-west winds, coupled with high spring tides.
🟠Status Orange Wind Warning Update🟠
Kerry, Sligo & Leitrim have been upgraded to Status Orange for #StormAshley
Status Orange warning is now valid from 12pm to 8pm Sunday 20th October
⚠️#staysafe and see https://t.co/e0QpncNkig for full details on all wind & rain warnings⚠️ pic.twitter.com/fAjqL62KS5
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) October 19, 2024
The counties covered could see gusts of up to 130kph.
The forecaster said there was the possibility of coastal flooding, large coastal waves, displacement of loose objects, fallen trees, very difficult travelling conditions, dangerous conditions at sea, damage to power lines and potential power outages, and damage to already weakened structures.
The rest of the island is covered by a yellow wind warning.
In the Republic, that warning comes into effect at midnight on Sunday morning until 3am on Monday.
In the North, the Met Office has issued a yellow wind warning from 3am on Sunday to just before midnight.
Met Éireann has also issued a yellow rain warning for seven counties – Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Wicklow, Cork, Kerry and Waterford – which will be in effect from midnight on Sunday morning to 9pm.
The National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM), Met Éireann and various other stakeholders in Ireland met on Friday to discuss Storm Ashley.
The NDFEM has said it will continue to liaise with Met Éireann and monitor conditions over the weekend.
Local authority severe weather assessment teams (Swats) are also monitoring conditions authorities have local emergency response teams in place.
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) of Ireland has advised all road users to take extreme care over the weekend.
The RSA urged drivers to slow down and allow a greater braking distance in wet weather conditions.
