STORM JORGE UPDATE - severe winds continuing this evening and tonight
Storm Jorge is currently hitting Ireland with full force this afternoon with worst affected counties in the west and south west of ireland where there has been reports of flooding power outages and trees down.
A Status red weather warning has now been lifted for Clare and Galway
A orange warning is now in place for Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo and Clare until midnight.
A yellow wind warning remains in place for the rest of Ireland.
Winds will remain strong overnight with the strongest period of winds still yet to hit northwestern and northern counties this evening and tonight with gusts along coastal areas as high as 130km/hr with these lasting into Sunday morning.
Winds will ease for many areas by dawn Sunday morning but remain strong at times across Ulster until midday Sunday.
Storm Jorge is forecast to bring very severe and damaging winds to western and northwestern coastal counties
(red wind warning) has been issued for Galway and Clare with gusts of 130 to 145km/h, with an elevated risk of coastal flooding,this warning will be in place for 3 hour between 1pm to 4pm Saturday
(orange wind warning) for Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Mayo, Galway, Clare and Kerry with gusts of 110 to 130km/h, possibly higher in very exposed areas with an elevated risk of coastal flooding. and less severe winds to the rest of the country. Valid: 06:00 Saturday 29/02/2020 to 03:00 Sunday 01/03/2020 and for Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim Valid: 12:00 Saturday 29/02/2020 to 03:00 Sunday 01/03/2020
(orange wind warning) Wind warning for Leinster, Cavan, Monaghan, Roscommon, Cork, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford with gusts of 110 to 120km/h, possibly higher in very exposed areas. Valid: 13:00 Saturday 29/02/2020 to 19:00 Saturday 29/02/2020
A status red marine warning has been issued for all coastal waters for Saturday and this means any Islands of the west of Ireland or northwest is under a red wind warning. Southwest gale force 8 to strong gale force 9 will develop tonight on Irish Coastal Waters from Mizen Head to Slyne Head to Rossan Point. Winds will veer westerly Saturday morning and increase to Storm Force 10 and occasionally Violent Storm Force 11.
Spells of heavy rain associated with Storm Jorge will worsen the flooding situation across the country. A yellow level rainfall warning is currently in operation for Munster, Connacht and Donegal until place until Saturday night.
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Fianna Fáil TD for Galway East Anne Rabbitte says south Galway is "submerged in water" and the region is totally impassable with 32 roads closed.
She said that most roads are totally impassable and more road closures are inevitable.
The head of forecasting at Met Éireann has said that people living in the red alert areas of Clare and Galway should take shelter until 3pm.
Evelyn Cusack said Storm Jorge is shaping up to be stronger than previous storms.
She said dangerous conditions over the midwest are expected this afternoon as heavy rain and hail showers are also forecast.
Met Éireann says it will revise its weather warnings at 3pm.
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DONEGAL UPDATE
River levels on the River eske are also very high with local businesses in Donegal down having to use sandbags to protect their property in fears of flooding
Donegal County Council in a heightened state of readiness in preparation for Storm Jorge.
Donegal County Council have activated their Severe Weather Assessment Team and all Council resources are at a heightened state of readiness in preparation for this period of unsettled weather.
Met Éireann have issued a status orange wind warning for County Donegal starting from 12.00 noon on Saturday 29th February until to 3.00am on Sunday 1st March as a result of Storm Jorge (pronounced Hor-hay) making landfall. In addition there is also a status yellow rain warning in place for County Donegal during this period also.
The weather forecast suggests strong damaging gusts right through Saturday and into early Sunday morning. Given the extent of rainfall over the past three weeks the ground is at saturation point and with the combination of weakened ground and high winds there is a high likelihood of trees falling during this period. Electricity and telecom cables will also be vulnerable during this period also.
As this period of unsettled weather is approaching its third week people are being asked to keep an eye out for elderly neighbours or other vulnerable people who may be affected by either localised flooding or by blocked access routes due to fallen trees / power lines. There is also a risk of power outages over the weekend due to fallen power lines and people are advised to put practical measures in place such as having their mobile phones charged and to have a torch or lamp readily available.
Motorists are being reminded to take extra care while driving and to keep an eye out for fallen trees and power lines and to be aware that there is a high possibility of encountering flooded roads as well over the weekend.
The Irish Coast Guard is also advising the public along coastal areas to ‘Stay back, stay high and stay dry’.
Given the limitations on Council resources to respond to all possible locations, the Council is asking the properties owners / occupiers in areas susceptible to surface water flooding, to take proactive measures themselves including erecting flood barriers / sandbags to protect their properties.
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 can be contacted on 074 91 72288. For emergencies requiring the assistance of the Fire Service call 999 or 112.
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