WRATH OF KATH..
But first Olivia set to bring heavy rain as Met Eireann warns of power cuts and fallen trees
IRELAND is braced for two storms in 24 hours before the warmest temperatures of the year.
Met Eireann has warned of power outages, fallen trees, difficult travel conditions, loose debris and coastal flooding amid feared 90kph gusts.
The strong winds are forecast to keep temperatures up with highs of 16C predicted for tomorrow, before another cold day on Sunday with lows of just 6C.
Large areas of the country are set for damaging winds over the weekend that begins with heavy showers today.
These form part of a low-pressure system that has been named Storm Olivia by Portugal’s weather service.
When it fades overnight, a new, more disruptive storm will unleash powerful gusts over several counties.
Storm Kathleen, which was named by Met Eireann, could bring as much as 20mm of rain, it is claimed in forecasts. The heavy rain follows the wettest March on record and means already saturated lands could help lead to dangerous spot flooding.
Motorists have been advised to take extra precautions on the roads due to rain volumes and hazards such as fallen trees and debris.
Cork, Kerry, Galway and Mayo are to be worst affected, according to the national weather service.
All four counties are tomorrow under a Status Orange wind warning that runs from 7am until 5pm, while the rest of the country is under a Status Yellow wind warning until 8pm.
A Status Yellow wind warning is in place across the border until 10pm.
A Met Eireann spokesperson said: “Storm Kathleen will bring gale force southerly winds, with some severe and damaging gusts. Possible impacts include very difficult travel conditions, fallen trees, power outages, coastal flooding, and wave overtopping.”
Council authorities in the worst hit areas were yesterday taking precautionary measures to protect residents and businesses.
Cork County Council’s severe weather assessment team convened and issued warnings.
A spokesperson said: “Members of the public are
advised to stay high, stay dry and stay away from the coast, rivers and lakes.
“With strong gusts and high waves predicted, people are urged to refrain from visiting coastal areas. Cork County Council wishes to advise road users to be aware of the danger posed by high winds and to be aware of any surface debris.
“Motorists are also asked to be especially conscious of cyclists and pedestrians. “Issues such as fallen trees, flooding and road damage should be reported to the relevant local area
Possible impacts include very difficult travel conditions MET EIREANN
YESTERDAY
Saturday morning will be very windy with strong, gusty winds and showers MET EIREANN FORECAST YESTERDAY
office. The strong winds may give rise to localised power outages.
“Fallen or grounded wires should be avoided and the public are advised to call ESB in assisting with the identification of fallen wires.
“In the event of a disruption to water supply, please contact Uisce Eireann.
“In the event of an emergency, call 999 or 112 and request the Fire Service, Ambulance Service, Gardai or Irish Coastguard as appropriate. Do not rely on others to do this.”
Today’s forecast from Met Eireann warns of a “blustery day with showers at first and more persistent spells of rain developing”.
Highest temperatures will be 16C in fresh to strong and gusty winds.
Met Eireann stated: “Remaining unsettled with spells of rain and strong winds at times.
“On Friday night, rain will
spread northwards over Ireland. It will be heavy at times with spot flooding possible.
“Saturday morning will be very windy with strong, gusty winds and widespread showers, some heavy.
“Sunday will be bright and blustery with sunshine and scattered showers. On Monday, rain will spread northwards over the country and will be heaviest in the east and south.
“A cold day with highest temperatures of 6C to 10C. Current indications suggest that the weather will continue unsettled for the rest of next week with spells of rain or showers spreading eastwards across the country.”
Kathleen is a “nasty looking” storm that looks set to “pack a punch” when it makes landfall at the weekend, according to weather expert, Alan O’reilly of Carlow Weather.
Kathleen will be the 11th named storm in the current season.
No storm season has ever got beyond the letter K.
The last storms to hit Ireland caused millions of euro worth of damage to parts of the country, such as Galway, and several lives were lost.
Storm Jocelyn was on January 23 and Storm Isha brought gusts of 137kph during its peak on January 21.
These were preceded by storms Geraldine in December and Elisa in November.
Storms are named when they could have a medium to high impact.
Storm Kathleen is named after Irish crystallographer Kathleen Lonsdale and also Kathleen Mcnulty Mauchly Antonelli.
Lonsdale demonstrated the crystal structure of benzene and was the first to use spectral methods while solving the structure of hexachlorobenzene in 1931.
She was also one of the first two women inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1945.
Pioneering Irish computer programmer Mcnulty was one of the six original programmers on the world’s first general electronic digital computers.
DCU named their computer science building in her name in 2017.