Firstly, Readers are strongly advised to follow Met Éireann’s ongoing updates.
Met Éireann has warned of hazardous travel conditions as Storm Chandra is forecast to bring very strong winds and heavy rain across Ireland on Tuesday, with more than a dozen counties placed under Status Yellow weather warnings.
According to Met Éireann, A Status Yellow rain warning will come into effect at midnight for counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Louth, Wexford, Wicklow and Waterford and will remain valid until 11pm on Tuesday. Met Éireann has said heavy and persistent rainfall is expected during this period, falling onto already saturated ground. This is likely to lead to localised flooding and difficult travelling conditions.
In addition, a Status Yellow wind warning will be in place from 5am on Tuesday for Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Louth, Meath, Wexford, Wicklow, Waterford, Monaghan, Cork and Kerry. The warning will remain valid until 11pm. Very strong and gusty winds are expected, particularly in exposed and coastal areas.
Met Éireann has said “hazardous” travel conditions are forecast, with impacts including fallen trees and wave overtopping along the coast (https://www.met.ie/
Across Northern Ireland, the UK Met Office has issued an Amber warning for counties Antrim, Derry and Down from 5am until 9pm on Tuesday. Counties Armagh, Fermanagh and Tyrone are under a Status Yellow warning, with heavy rain and strong winds forecast.
According to Met Éireann, Weather conditions on Monday are expected to be dull and breezy, with rain becoming widespread and heavy at times. Wet and windy conditions are forecast to persist through the remainder of the week as further weather systems affect the country.
Storm Chandra is the third named storm of the year. The name Chandra comes from the Hindu god of the moon.
Met Éireann meteorologist Linda Hughes said January has already seen significantly above-average rainfall in parts of the country. She said it has been classified as wet on 21 out of the first 25 days of the month, with a wet day defined as receiving 1mm or more of rainfall.
“Some parts of the south and the east have already had more rain than they normally expect in the whole month of January up to yesterday,” she said.
However, Ms Hughes noted that rainfall totals have been lower than average in the northwest.
She said the current weather pattern is being driven by an “active Atlantic regime”, describing it as a “success of low-pressure systems” moving towards Ireland. This is expected to result in continued unsettled conditions for the rest of this week and into next week (https://www.met.ie/
Ms Hughes added that there is a possibility the warnings could be upgraded as Storm Chandra develops. “Keep an eye on the warnings, it is a changing situation, so there could be updates,” she said. As stated, keep updated on Met Éireann’s ongoing updates.
