Storm Dylan wreaks havoc on coastal areas

STORM Dylan battered coastal regions last night and some New Year’s Eve celebrations have had to be changed due to the risk of flooding.

The west and northwest were the worstaffected regions, with a status orange warning issued for Connacht, Cavan, Monaghan, Donegal, Longford, Louth, Westmeath, Meath and Clare.

The warning remained in place until midday today as Storm Dylan brought gusts of up to 125kph and the risk of coastal flooding. A less severe status yellow warning was issued for Dublin and the rest of the country.

In Limerick, a special €40,000 celebration including a fireworks display and a video projection on the side of King John’s Castle have been postponed due to the high risk of flooding and heavy winds. The festivities will now be held on St Patrick’s Day.

Met Éireann forecaster Vincent O’Shea said that while the storm was unlikely to cause any major structural damage on the scale of Storm Ophelia, there was a risk of flooding on roads.

He said: ‘All parts of the country will experience strong winds but the northwest will be particularly affected. There is the potential for the storm to cause some damage but it would be slight structural damage, as opposed to anything major.

‘The rain won’t exceed 10-20mm but it could cause some spot flooding.

‘In the west, for example 10mm of rain could fall in a couple of hours which would cause some road flooding.’

The Coast Guard issued a warning that the public should stay away from exposed beaches, cliffs, harbour walls and promenades along the coast.

Tomorrow, the weather will have calmed down in most parts of the country, although it will still be blustery in the north and northwest.