A Status Red wind warning for counties Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo, Clare and Galway has been brought forward one hour.
The alert will now be in effect in Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo from 10pm tonight until 3am tomorrow and in Mayo, Clare and Galway from 9pm until 3am.
Met Éireann says such warnings are ‘rare, extremely dangerous and destructive’.
Storm Darragh is set to bring heavy rain and strong winds to all counties.
Met Éireann said possible impacts of the storm could include fallen trees, damage to power lines, difficult travelling conditions, damage to temporary structures and wave overtopping along the coast.
Meanwhile, a number of events around the county have been cancelled due to the weather warning.
Donegal County Council is also urging members of the public to take extra care as Storm Darragh approaches.
“Storm Darragh will bring extremely strong and gusty northwest winds with potential impacts of fallen trees, damage to power lines, dangerous travelling conditions, structural damage and wave overtopping,” a council spokesperson said.
A Status Orange Wind Warning for Donegal remains in place from 10pm this evening until 10am Saturday morning and a Status Yellow Rain Warning remains in continuous effect until 10am Saturday morning.
During this period of inclement weather the public are being urged to exercise extreme caution:
- The public are advised to not travel in areas where a red level warning is in place and to shelter in place during these times. Essential services operators will continue to operate services subject to advice from Met Éireann on prevailing local conditions.
- High seas; the public are advised to stay away from coastal areas during this period. The Irish Coast Guard are appealing to people to “Stay Back, Stay High, Stay Dry”.
- Strong winds can make driving conditions hazardous, especially for the more vulnerable road users, e.g., cyclists, pedestrians, motorcyclists and high sided vehicles. Road users should pay particular attention to the risk posed by fallen trees and flying debris as trees are in full leaf.
- There is a potential for tidal flooding in coastal areas. In addition to this, the storm may also bring localised heavy showers, which in turn may lead to surface flooding in urban locations.
- People are advised to prepare for the arrival of the storm including ensuring their mobile phone is fully charged to enable communication.
- Driving conditions will be hazardous throughout the weekend. Never drive through flooded roads, the depth of the water can be deceiving.
- Monitor Met Éireann forecasts and/or visit https://www.met.ie/ for the most up to date information. Information is available across social media platforms and other news media sources.
- ESB Networks is highlighting the dangers posed by fallen live wires and is advising the public and the emergency services to stay away from these fallen cables and to report such cases to it immediately. ESB Emergency Services can be contacted at 1800 372 999. The public can monitor www.PowerCheck.ie in regards to power restoration times.
Donegal County Council has pre-deployed sandbags in a number of high risk areas and further sandbags are ready to be deployed if required. Roads Service, Fire Service and Civil Defence crews are at a heightened state of readiness in the event of local responses being required during this storm event, however will only be deployed during the period of the red warning in instances with an immediate threat to life.
The council’s Severe Weather Assessment Team are keeping the approaching weather pattern under review and will continue to monitor all local conditions as Storm Darragh progresses.
Donegal County Council can be contacted during normal business hours on 074 91 53900 and in the event of an out-of-hours emergency the Council’s Road Service/Housing Department can be contacted on 074 91 72288. For emergencies requiring the assistance of the Fire Service call 999 or 112.
The public are asked to keep up to date with the current weather warnings and in particular any change in the status warning for their area.
You can keep up to date on conditions in your area by signing up for free alerts to your phone by registering at www.mapalerter.com/donegal or by following Donegal County Council on Facebook or on X (Twitter) @DonegalCouncil.
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