A Status Orange weather warning has handed down to three counties with "intense rain" forecasted for later tonight, and Storm Austen set to hit Ireland.
The three counties affected include, Cork, Kerry and Waterford, with Met Éireann saying that this weather could cause disruption and delays to public transport, flooding and tricky travelling conditions, as the wind is to spread eastwards across the country.
This Status Orange Weather warning will come into affect from 10pm tonight until 5am tomorrow.
It was also announced that a separate Orange rain warning was issued for Dublin, Wexford and Wicklow, from 2am tomorrow until 8am.
Elsewhere, a Status Yellow rain and wind warning was also in place for Leinster and Munster, taking effect from 7pm this evening until 10am tomorrow.
Starting mostly dry w/ sunny spells & well-scattered showers across parts of the SW, W & N 🌦️
The afternoon will turn wet & windy as Storm Austen tracks to the S w/ very heavy rain developing in the SW, extending northeastwards by the evening ⚠️
Highs of 10 to 14°C 🌡️ https://t.co/QRTvJIQXFD
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) October 22, 2026
This warning replaces the previous yellow level warning which was put in place for all counties, with south easterly winds backing northwesterly and strengthening further, especially in the south and south east.
River levels are expected to rise across counties Cork, Kerry, Waterford, Tipperary, Kilkenny, Carlow, Wexford, Wicklow, Kildare, Laois, Offaly, Kilkenny, Dublin, along with surrounding countues, which could result in rivers exceeding their banks, with flooding also expected.
